Whilst highly motorized countries have over the last decade consistently reduced Road Traffic Accidents (RTA), injuries and fatalities, most developing countries continue to experience increasing trends in Road Traffic Accidents and casualties. It can be demonstrated that countries that have developed well thought out proactive, integrated multi-sectoral and data ledNational Road Safety Strategy and Action Plans can reduce and prevent RTAs and casualties. Ghana developed and implemented its first National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS I) and Action Plans in 2001 for the period 2001 - 2005. Based on an evaluation carried out in 2006 on the first strategy, a second National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS II) was developed for the period 2006 - 2010. The Strategy critically examines the success factors in the first strategy, challenges faced with implementation, trends in Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) in Ghana and global best practices. The essential elements of the second strategy include the following: a national vision for road safety; clearly defined strategic objectives; focus on RTA areas with the potential to make maximum impact in achieving the strategic objectives; key performance indicators for assessing performance and tracking effectiveness of policy initiatives; responsibilities of primary stakeholder implementing agencies; a major input for road user education, information and publicity; and strong emphasis on coordination and collaboration. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.
Abstract