Road transport is primarily the basic mode of transport and it is unique in the sense that every journey begins with the road and ends with the road. It also interfaces with other modes. Road transport is accessible and ubiquitous and offers varieties of modes for users of the road to attain their respective aspirations. Notwithstanding the attributes of road transport it is evident that road transport in comparison with other modes experience and account for more casualties in transport related accidents than the other modes. It is estimated that about one million people are killed each year in road accidents worldwide and 30 - 40 million people are injured, and of which over 80 per cent take place in the developing and emerging nations of Africa, Latin America/ Caribbean and Eastern Europe. Research has also established that in the developed countries of North America, Western Europe and Japan, road deaths fell by approximately 10 per cent between 1990 and 2000. Over the same period road deaths increased in developing countries by between 30 and 40 per cent. Injury is predictable and preventable and therefore avoidable. It is injury that leads to death. It is road traffic injury that accounts for the large number of physically - challenged people in society. According to WHO estimates in any given population 10 per cent are disabled and within this number 55 per cent are disabled through road accident. Injuries represent the main cause of potential of life loss. The thrust of this paper is that road traffic law can facilitate the control and prevention of traffic injury and therefore it is useful to appraise and analyze its role to improve road safety in Ghana (A). For the covering abstract of the conference see E217780.
Abstract