Comparative Analysis of Regional Distribution of the Rate of Road Traffic Fatalities in Ghana

by Open Science Repository Mathematics
(March 2014)

Abstract

In this paper, we shall consider the annual distribution of the rates of road traffic fatalities per 100 accidents in the administrative/geographical regions in Ghana. Data on road traffic fatalities and accidents by regions from 1991 to 2011 will be used. Using published road traffic accident statistics from the National Road Safety Commission of Ghana, the design and analysis of variance of the effect on a region of the rate of road traffic fatality per 100 accidents in Ghana with ten levels of the factor shall be considered. The results will show that, there are significant differences among rates of road traffic fatalities per 100 accidents, in the 10 regions of Ghana. A multiple comparison test, using the Fisher least significance difference (LSD) method, shall be conducted to determine which pairs of regional treatment means are significantly different.

The study will show that the risk of dying, as a result of a road traffic accident, is highest in the Northern region, recording an average rate of 232.8 road traffic fatalities per 100 accidents. This is followed closely by the Volta and Eastern regions with rates 210.2 and 205.6 per 100 accidents, respectively. Greater Accra region, with more than 60% of registered vehicles, and highest population density in Ghana, has the lowest average rate of fatality which, according to the Fisher least significance difference (LSD) method, shows considerable disparity with all the other 9 regions of Ghana. The high rate of fatalities in Ghana is attributed to the fact that a large proportion of road traffic accident trauma patients in Ghana do not have access to formal Emergency Medical Services.

Keywords: road traffic, accident, fatality.

Full text

Comparative Analysis of Regional Distribution of the Rate of Road Traffic Fatalities in Ghana