Why is the Ofankor-Pokuase road experiencing repeated crashes?

A fresh four-vehicle collision has renewed questions about safety on the busy corridor, days after 12 people were killed in another multi-vehicle crash nearby.

Another crash on the Ofankor-Pokuase stretch of the Accra-Kumasi Highway has raised fresh questions about why serious collisions continue to occur along one of Ghana's busiest road corridors.

One person was seriously injured when four vehicles, a VIP bus, a military vehicle, a Toyota Vitz and a four-wheel-drive vehicle - collided on Wednesday morning.

No deaths were recorded, but the crash caused heavy congestion on the Kumasi-bound lanes.

It happened less than a week after a separate multi-vehicle crash between the Ofankor Barrier and the John Teye enclave killed 12 people and injured 22 others, according to the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA). Seven vehicles were involved in that collision.

The proximity of the two incidents has intensified concerns about whether enough is being done to make the corridor safer.

What is making the road dangerous?

There is no evidence yet that a single factor explains the latest crashes.

But road safety officials have repeatedly identified several risks that can combine to make collisions more likely or more severe.

The NRSA said in April that speeding, inattentiveness and loss of control were among the leading contributors to road crashes in Ghana.

It said about 90% of crashes recorded in Ghana were linked to human error, with speeding accounting for between 38% and 40% of crashes. The authority also said speed-related factors contributed to nearly 60% of crashes.

Following the 12-death Ofankor crash, the NRSA again urged motorists to observe speed limits and maintain their vehicles properly.

The statutory speed limit on highways is 90km/h, while lower limits apply in urban and built-up areas.

That puts driver behaviour firmly in the road-safety conversation.

The Municipal Chief Executive for Ga North, Akwetey Agbo, has specifically blamed what he described as driver indiscipline for recurring crashes around the John Teye descent towards Pokuase.

He has called for speed cameras to be installed on the stretch.

But speeding alone may not explain the repeated problems.

What happens when a vehicle breaks down?

The recent fatal crash also underscores another issue: what happens when a vehicle or other obstruction ends up on a busy highway?

Accounts of the August 13 crash described a chain of collisions involving seven vehicles. The precise cause remains subject to investigation.

That question is important because on a high-speed road, a disabled vehicle, debris or another obstruction can become a serious hazard, particularly when approaching motorists have little time to react.

Ghana has already seen the consequences of traffic incidents blocking the Ofankor-Nsawam corridor.

In June, an overturned trailer at Satellite Junction caused major congestion and forced traffic diversions while recovery operations were carried out.

In March, the National Ambulance Service also reported responding to a crash involving a cement truck and a petroleum tanker on the Ofankor-Nsawam Road. The vehicles blocked major lanes and emergency agencies had to work at the scene to manage the situation.

The question for authorities is therefore not only how to prevent the first crash.

It is also how quickly dangerous obstructions can be detected, properly marked and removed before they trigger another collision.

Is darkness part of the problem?

Lighting is another concern that deserves closer attention.

The NRSA has previously warned that non-functioning streetlights can increase the vulnerability of road users to crashes, particularly at high-risk locations. It has described faulty or unavailable streetlights as a road-safety

threat.

A 2024 investigation into street lighting in Accra also found that several major roads remained poorly lit despite substantial investment in street-lighting infrastructure.

The investigation cited concerns from the NRSA about night crashes and poor visibility, including motorists being unable to see disabled vehicles ahead.

Those findings do not establish that poor lighting caused the recent Ofankor crashes.

But they do raise a broader question: if a high-speed corridor has known visibility problems, are enough measures in place to protect motorists at night?

That is particularly important because the fatal August 13 crash occurred at about 04:00.

The road is also carrying a lot of pressure

The Ofankor-Pokuase corridor is part of the N6, a major route linking Accra with Nsawam and onward to Kumasi and other parts of the country.

It carries substantial volumes of commercial and private traffic, meaning that when something goes wrong, the effects can spread quickly.

Road works and traffic diversions can add another layer of complexity.

The Ofankor-Nsawam Dual Carriageway project has required temporary traffic diversions at various stages to allow construction and pavement works to continue.

Diversions are not, by themselves, evidence that road works are causing crashes.

But they can change traffic patterns, create congestion and introduce unfamiliar movements for motorists.

That makes clear signs, lane markings, lighting and traffic management particularly important.

Are speed cameras enough?

The call for speed cameras is significant because Ghana already has experience using technology to enforce speed limits.

The NRSA has worked with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department and other partners using speed-enforcement cameras to identify motorists exceeding posted limits.

But cameras can only address one part of the problem.

If a driver is speeding, a camera may detect the violation.

It cannot repair a damaged road.

It cannot illuminate a dark stretch.

It cannot remove a disabled vehicle.

And it cannot rescue an injured passenger.

That is why road safety experts increasingly argue for a combination of safer road design, enforcement, vehicle checks, driver education and effective emergency response.

Ghana's wider road-safety problem

The Ofankor crashes are happening against a wider national road-safety challenge.

NRSA data show that Ghana recorded 9,626 reported road crashes between January and August 2025.

Those crashes involved more than 16,000 vehicles and resulted in 1,937 deaths and 10,957 injuries.

The number of fatalities was 20% higher than during the same period in 2024.

The figures show why the debate should not end with the Ofankor-Pokuase corridor.

But repeated crashes in the same location can provide authorities with an opportunity to identify specific risks and fix them before more people are killed.

What should happen now?

The immediate priority should be to establish exactly what caused the recent crashes.

That means looking beyond the driver involved.

Investigators and road agencies should examine:

• vehicle roadworthiness

• speed

• road markings

• lighting

• visibility

• traffic diversions

• road geometry

• disabled vehicles or obstructions

• enforcement

• emergency response times

The findings should then lead to specific action.

If speeding is a major factor, enforcement should follow.

If lighting is inadequate, it should be fixed.

If road design creates a particular hazard, engineers should address it.

If disabled vehicles are taking too long to clear, authorities need a faster recovery system.

And if drivers are repeatedly ignoring traffic regulations, education and enforcement must become more effective.

The bigger question

The question after another crash should not simply be: Who was driving?

It should also be:

Why was this crash possible?

That distinction matters.

A driver may make a mistake. But a well-designed and properly managed road should provide layers of protection that reduce the chance that one mistake becomes a fatal chain collision.

The Ofankor-Pokuase road has now experienced another serious crash only days after a 12-death collision.

That does not prove that the road itself is responsible.

But it is enough to demand a closer look.

The test for authorities now is not how quickly they can respond after the next crash.

It is whether they can identify and remove the risks before another family receives a phone call telling them that someone they love is not coming home.