Research Journal of Mathematics and Statistics 7(4): 5359, 2015
ISSN: 20422024, eISSN: 20407505
© 2015 Maxwell Scientific Publication Corp.
Submitted: May 27, 2015 Accepted: July 14, 2015 Published: November 25, 2015
Christian A. Hesse, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Social Studies, Methodist
University College, Ghana
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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Christian A. Hesse and John B. Ofosu
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Social Studies, Methodist University
College, Ghana
In this study, we shall consider the annual distribution of the rates of road traffic fatalities per 100
casualties on road users in Ghana. The rate of road traffic fatalities per 100 casualties is called road traffic fatality
index. Data on road traffic casualties, fatalities and fatality indices (F. I.) by road users and by regions, from 2010 to
2013, will be used. Using published road traffic accident data from the National Road Safety Commission of Ghana,
a twofactor factorial design and analysis of variance of the effect of a road user class with 7 levels of factor and the
effect of a geographical region with 10 levels of the factor shall be considered. The interaction between the two
factors shall be considered. The result will show that, different road user classes have different effects on the road
traffic fatality index and also that, there are significant differences in fatality index rates among the 10 regions of
Ghana. We shall also discover that, there is significant interaction between road user class and geographical region.
A multiple comparison test, using Fisher’s Least Significance Difference (LSD) method, shall be conducted to
determine which pairs of road user fatality index means are significantly different. The study will show that, there
are significant differences in road traffic fatality indices (fatality per 100 casualties) among various road users and
also in the ten regions of Ghana. The risk of dying in a road traffic accident among pedestrians and cyclists are both
significantly higher than those of other road users. The LSD shows that there is no significant difference between
fatality indices of pedestrians and cyclists. The risk of dying in a road traffic accident among pedestrians and cyclists
are both significantly higher than those of other road users, recording an average rate of 33.9 and 31.78 deaths per
100 casualties, respectively.
Fatalities and casualties, road traffic
!"!
According to the National Road Safety
Commission (NRSC) of Ghana, in 2013, about 2 240
persons were killed and 13 001 were injured in road
traffic accidents in Ghana. Road users in Ghana can be
classified under the following eight categories:
pedestrians, car occupants, goods vehicle occupants,
bus/minibus occupants, motorcyclists, pickup
occupants, cyclists and others. The NRSC has reported
that pedestrians are the road users with the highest risk
of death in road traffic accidents in Ghana. In 2013, the
vulnerable road users in Ghana (pedestrians, bus/mini
bus and car occupants), according to the NRSC report,
constitute about 72% of road users killed on the roads,
with pedestrians alone being about 41%. Compared to
year 2012, NRSC reported that there has been a 3.3
percentage drop in the fatality share of pedestrians
(from 41.5% in 2012 to 38.2% in 2013) and a 2.0
percentage drop in that of bus occupants. There was a
reduction of 21.9% in pedestrian fatalities and a
reduction of 23.8% in bus occupant fatalities from year
2012 to year 2013.
Based on NRSC report, motorcyclist fatalities in
road traffic accidents continue to follow an upward
trend. Statistics released by NRSC on road traffic
accidents in Ghana show that the proportion of motor
cyclist fatalities in the total number of road traffic
fatalities increased from 2.7% in 2001 to 14.2% in 2011
and increased again to 14.5% in 2012 and now is at
17.0% in 2013. The report indicated that motorcycle
fatalities of 17.0% have now strongly overtaken car
occupant fatalities (11.5%), though we have 10 times
more cars involved in crashes than motorcycles.
Compared to 2012, motorcycle fatalities in 2013
reduced marginally by 0.6%. Motorcyclist fatalities,
according to NRSC, increased by 634% compared to a
reduction of 4% for pedestrians from 2001 to 3013.
The increasing use of motorcycles as taxis (popularly
known as Okada) and the nonuse of helmets by both
riders and pillion riders may have contributed to the
rising trend of motorcyclists fatalities.
Several studies have shown that a pedestrian in a
road traffic accident, is at a greater risk of being
severely injured. Oxley et al. (2004) reported that older
pedestrians and cyclists are vulnerable road users,
comprising a substantial proportion of all road fatalities