Traffic police report over 900 road deaths between January and August

Pinned summary · as of 05:40

Traffic police say more than 900 people died on Ghana's roads from January to August 2026, in collisions that officers regard as avoidable. The numbers came from ACP Alexander Obeng of the police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), who spoke on television on Monday, 28 September.

What we know

• The MTTD counted about 9,000 preventable crashes between January and August 2026. ACP Obeng, who directs research, education and training at the department, said they involved about 15,000 vehicles.
• Those collisions left roughly 11,000 people hurt and claimed more than 900 lives, according to figures attributed to the MTTD.
• ACP Obeng described the toll as a serious public safety problem. He urged drivers, vehicle owners, passengers and pedestrians alike to act more responsibly.
• He said the response must combine preventive work, including continuing road safety education, with steps that limit harm once a crash has happened.
• The Ghana Police Service plans to begin using a digital system called Traffitech for enforcing traffic laws from 1 October 2026. The aim is to automate enforcement and cut corruption.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Reports differ on where ACP Obeng spoke. Citi Newsroom named the programme A Question of Law, while MyJoyOnline, Chale News and YEN.com.gh said he was on Channel One TV.
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  Chale News reported that the police had announced automated traffic cameras across the country from 1 October, aimed at vehicles with heavily tinted windows, badly worn tyres or illegal parking. The other reports describe Traffitech and do not mention these offences.
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  Citing figures it attributed to ghanaweb and the MTTD, Chale News said the Accra-Kumasi Highway saw 31 crashes from January to August, 14 of them fatal, with 42 deaths and 264 injuries. It also reported a fatal crash on the same highway in the early hours of 28 September that killed four people. No other report carries these numbers, and the MTTD has not been quoted on them.
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  YEN.com.gh reported that Traffitech was announced during a nationwide awareness session about two pieces of road law: Act 1153, the 2025 amendment to the Road Traffic Act, and L.I. 2519, the 2026 regulations. This detail has not been confirmed by other reports.

Why it matters for Ghana

More than 900 deaths and about 11,000 injuries in eight months mean bereaved families and busy hospital wards in towns and cities across the country. Drivers, trotro and taxi operators, vehicle owners, passengers and pedestrians are the groups the police want to change their habits. Motorists are due to face automated checks from 1 October if the Traffitech rollout goes ahead as announced.