By
James Kweku Eshun & Christian Kwesi Owusu
Department of Geography & Regional Planning
University of Cape Coast
oIntroduction/Problem
o
Objectives
oMethods
oResults
o
Conclusion & Recommendation
The
introduction of the motor vehicle as a means of road transport
worldwide has facilitated the easy movement of man from one place
to the other.
The
movement of goods and services on spatial basis has also made
easier and faster than ever and even much better in the subsequent
generations to come.
However,
motor vehicle transport has also come with a high price in
terms of lost of life, properties and socio-economic activities
In
the year 2001 alone, the country was rated the second highest
road traffic accident prone among six (6) West African countries with
73 deaths per 10,000 accidents. From January to March 2003, Accra
alone recorded about 1417 motor accidents involving 1225 vehicles
(AFRICANEWS online – May 2003).
It
has been estimated that over 300,000 persons die and 10,000,000
to 15,000,000 persons are injured every year in road accident
throughout the world.
Detailed
analyses of global accident shows that fatality rate per
licensed vehicles in developing countries are very high compared to
industrial countries
In
Ghana, mechanical, human and environmental factors are being
known as the causes of road accident in the country, most especially
mechanical factor (Motor Transport and Traffic Union (MTTU)
Annual Report 2004).
Records
available indicates that in the year 2004 in the
Cape Coast Metropolis, the number of accident cases
reported were 1290 where death cases were 316 and
injured cases were 1734 with 1667 vehicles involved in
these accidents.
In 2005, 1025 cases of accidents were reported out of
which 208 deaths occurred and 1436 injuries reported at
which 1375 vehicles were involved in accidents in the
metropolis.

Road
traffic accident has serious consequences on the nation’s
economy, the casualties, families, friends as well as the society at large.
The nation spent about 2% of the country’s Gross National Product
(GNP) on medicals, funeral bills of casualties and repairs of damaged
vehicles. This 2% of GNP amounted to 2.64 trillion cedis (US 330
million) - (NRSC, 2006).
This
potential labour loss is high in Ghana and the estimate of such
losses by the technique of disability adjusted lost years (DALY) is about
9,000 for the city of Accra alone between 1991 and 1995 (Kissah –
Korsah et al 2005).
Finally,
road traffic accident is responsible for large number of
morbidity and mortality rate in Ghana. About 8,000 people die in road
traffic accident every year (Abane, 2004).
The question is where are those places of which road traffic Accidents
is rampant?
i.
ii.
Using Geographic Information System (GIS) to map
out black spots of road traffic accidents in Cape Coast
Metropolis and
Assess the classification and causes of road traffic
accidents in Cape Coast Metropolis
DATA
REQUIRED
Road
Map of Cape Coast
(Cartography and GIS Unit,
UCC)
DIGITAL ANCILLARY DATA
Remote Sensing Data
Shape Files
2011
Road Accident
from Police MTTU
Data
Banded Themes
National
SECONDARY DATA
2011 Motor Accident Data
Backup Data of Road Traffic
Accident
Road
Safety
Commission (NRSC) in Cape
Coast
A
quarter
Area
total no.
Percentage
of cases
Cape Coast
1st
73
21.3 %
Cape Coast
2nd
91
27 %
Cape Coast
3rd
84
24.5%
Cape Coast
4th
94
27.2%
342
100 %
TOTAL 2011
Source: MTTU, (Cape Coast, 2012).
BLACK SPOTS
Black spots are those areas which have recorded a very high frequency
rate of road traffic accidents within specific period of time. For this
analysis black sport are places or location where road traffic accidents
had occurred on more than three (3) consecutive times
The total number of cases is used to set a criterion for black spot
locations in the Cape Coast metropolis.
Eg. Pedu Junction (33/342*100% = 9.7 %)
Black
spot area within the metropolis:
oPedu Junction (33)
oUCC East Gate (30)
oMoree Junction (22)
oNkanfoa/Third Ridge
o Yamoransa (21)
oKotokuraba (20)
oSiwdu (18)
oKingsway (15)
oAbura (15)
(22)
.
BLACK SPOT CONCENTRATION IN THE CAPE COAST METROPOLIS
NUMBER OF VEHICLES AND VEHICLE TYPES INVOLVED IN ROAD
TRAFFIC ACCIDENT
Area
quarter
Comm.
Vehicles
Percentage
private
vehicles
percentage
1st
45
20.0 %
48
20.7 %
2nd
57
25.0 %
48
20.7 %
3rd
60
26.4 %
61
26.3 %
4th
65
28.6 %
75
32.3 %
Year:
227
10 0 %
2011
Source: MTTU (Cape Coast, 2012).
232
100 %
Cape Coast
Cape Coast
Cape Coast
Cape Coast
No. of Commercial Vehicles
No. of Private Vehicles
CASUALTIES INVOLVED ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN THE
CAPE COAST
Casualty
according to Road Safety Commission (NRSC 2006)
refers to a crash resulting in injury, death or property damage
and which involves at least one vehicle on a public road.
Is
also the resultant of any road traffic crash of which victims
are either injured (serious and minor) or killed (fatal) within 30
days of the crash
Casualties involves in Road Traffic Accidents in Cape Coast
Metropolis
Area
quarter
fatal percentage serious
percentage minor
Percentage
C’ Coast
1st
4
21 %
14
20 %
54
18.4 %
C’ Coast
2nd
4
21 %
14
20 %
73
24.8 %
C’ Coast
3rd
7
37 %
12
17 %
107
36.4 %
C’ Coast
4th
4
21%
30
43 %
60
20.4 %
TOTAL
2011
19
100 %
70
100 %
294
100 %
Source: MTTU (Cape Coast, 2012)
CASUALTIES INVOLVED ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN THE
CAPE COAST METROPOLITAN AREA
MINOR INJURIES (76.8%)
Serious Injuries Involved in Road Traffic Accidents
Time that Road Traffic Accident happened in Cape Coast
Time refers to the period in which an event occur.
Geographers have a strong ideology that everything
exist and happens in space and time. Time under
this study is grouped into morning, Afternoon and
evening
Time of Road Accident
Area
Quarter
Morning
Percentage Afternoon
Percentage Evening
Percentage
Cape
Coast
1st
26
24.1 %
18
18.6 %
33
22.2 %
Cape
Coast
2nd
25
23%
24
24.7 %
45
30.4 %
Cape
Coast
3rd
29
26.9 %
30
31 %
31
21 %
Cape
Coast
TOTAL
4th
28
26 %
25
25.7 %
39
26.4 %
2011
108
100 %
97
100 %
148
100 %
Morning – 108 (30.5%)
Afternoon – 97 (27.5%)
Evening – 148 (42%)
Causes and Classification of Road Traffic Accidents
A
total of 9 black spots locations were identified which were
comparatively competitive to each order.
Most
of the casualties recorded were minor injuries.
Fatality
rate in 2011 was relatively high compared to previous years
where most of this casualty occurs at vantage junctions and corners of
the roads in the Cape Coast Metropolis.
Most
of the vehicles involved in road traffic accidents were private
vehicles
Most
road traffic accident happened in the evening.
most causes of RTA’s in the metropolis can be attributed to
human factors.
The
54%
increase in number of cases recorded between 2001 and 2011
(From 157 cases in 2001 to 342 cases in 2011).
In
all the total number of cases recorded for each road
traffic accident variable has increased within a 10 year gap,
that is from 2001 to 2011 irrespective of educational
campaign, hence new strategies should be adpted
Adequate
and effective signs and road markings
Mandatory
for every driver in Ghana to go for an eye test, at least
once every one year
Make
the use of speed cameras to capture, trap and punish drivers
that speed on our trunk roads
Sustained
traffic safety campaign
Coordinate,
and strategies
Proper
Good
monitor and evaluate road safety activities, programmes
check up of all vehicles at DVLA for road worthy certificate
roads and constant maintenance of roads
THANK YOU
ANY
QUESTIONS?
Yamoransa Junction (6) = 12
Pedu Junction (4)= 6
Nkanfoa/Third Ridge Junction (3)= 6
Moree Junction (2) = 4
UCC East Gate (2) = 4