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Traffic accidents

Ghana's Road Safety Crisis: The Case for a Lower BAC Limit

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Ghana's alarming road safety crisis continues to claim thousands of lives each year, with 2,494 fatalities and 15,607 injuries in 2023 alone. The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) reported 1,267 deaths in the first five months of 2024. The country's high Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit of 0.08 percent is one of the contributing factors, as it allows significant impairment before legal consequences are triggered. To tackle this issue, Ghana must revise and enforce a lower BAC limit of 0.05 percent, supported by scientific evidence and international precedent.

Key Takeaways:

  • Ghana's road safety crisis is a public health emergency, claiming 2,494 lives and 15,607 injuries in 2023 alone, with 1,267 deaths in the first five months of 2024.
  • The country's high BAC limit of 0.08 percent is out of sync with international best practices and allows significant impairment before legal consequences are triggered.
  • Lowering the BAC limit to 0.05 percent is supported by scientific evidence, with international precedent showing a 5 to 10 percent drop in alcohol-related crashes in countries that have adopted this limit.
  • The cost of inaction is staggering, with road traffic crashes costing Ghana approximately $1.2 billion annually, or about 1.6 percent of the national GDP.
  • Ghana's BAC law stands apart from global norms, with more than 85 countries having adopted a BAC limit of 0.05 percent or lower.
  • Enforcement is crucial, and any revision to the BAC limit must be accompanied by strong enforcement mechanisms, including roadside breath testing and public education campaigns.
  • Reducing the BAC limit is not an attack on cultural traditions but a safeguard against reckless behavior that puts innocent lives at risk.
  • Several civil society organizations, including CUTS International Accra, LADA Institute, Legal Resource Centre, BIGRS, and Vital Strategies, are actively supporting the revision of the BAC threshold.
  • The Ministry of Transport has initiated discussions around revising the BAC threshold, and strong political will and coordinated action among all relevant stakeholders are needed to take action.

Statistics:

  • 2,494 Ghanaians lost their lives to road crashes in 2023.
  • 15,607 Ghanaians sustained injuries in road crashes in 2023.
  • 1,267 deaths were reported from road accidents in the first five months of 2024.
  • The NRSA recorded 14,135 road crashes in Ghana in 2024, resulting in 2,276 deaths and over 15,400 injuries.
  • Up to 10 percent of road crashes in Ghana are linked to alcohol-impaired driving.
  • The cost of road traffic crashes in Ghana is approximately $1.2 billion annually, or about 1.6 percent of the national GDP.
  • Countries with a BAC limit of 0.05 percent or lower have seen a 5 to 10 percent drop in alcohol-related crashes.
  • Japan recorded a 38 percent decline in alcohol-related accidents of all severities after adopting a 0.05 percent BAC limit.

Sources:

  • World Health Organization (WHO)
  • National Road Safety Authority (NRSA)
  • Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
  • Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
  • Journal of Safety Research
  • ResearchGate
  • Ghana Ministry of Transport
  • CUTS International Accra
  • LADA Institute
  • Legal Resource Centre
  • BIGRS
  • Vital Strategies
  • Road Traffic Act of 2004 (Act 683)
  • WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

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