The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has called on the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service to arrest and prosecute pedestrians who refuse to use designated footbridges, as part of efforts to reduce road crashes and fatalities.
The Director-General of the NRSA, Abraham Amaliba, said strict enforcement of road traffic regulations was necessary to protect pedestrians, particularly at locations where footbridges had been provided.
He stressed that footbridges were constructed to ensure pedestrian safety and should not be ignored by road users.
“The footbridges are not there for decorative purposes; they are there for pedestrians to utilise them and be safe. If there is a footbridge and you decide not to use it and cross the road dangerously,” he said.
Mr Amaliba maintained that pedestrians should only be prosecuted for failing to use footbridges where such facilities were available.
“Where there are no footbridges, there will be no justification to arrest anyone, but where there are footbridges, and you refuse to use them, you must be prosecuted. I call on the police MTTD to start arresting and prosecuting people who refuse to use footbridges,” he added.
He made the call on October 28, 2026, at Madina Zongo in the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality during the launch of the Safe Crossing, Safe Lives pedestrian safety campaign.
The campaign, an initiative of the Greater Accra Regional NRSA, seeks to promote safe pedestrian behaviour and encourage the proper use of footbridges and other designated crossing facilities to reduce pedestrian-related crashes and deaths.
It targets high-risk locations across the Greater Accra Region, including Adentan, Madina, Lapaz and Weija.
Mr Amaliba also urged the police MTTD to collaborate with metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to enforce the use of footbridges and remove traders occupying pedestrian walkways.
He said clearing pedestrian walkways of traders and hawkers was necessary to minimise the risk of pedestrian knockdowns.
The call comes amid growing concerns about the encroachment on road pavements and other pedestrian infrastructure by traders and hawkers.
According to the NRSA, pedestrian knockdowns account for 33 per cent of deaths recorded in reported road crashes.
Data cited in a Daily Graphic analysis of NRSA statistics indicate that 63,599 people died in road crashes across Ghana between 1991 and 2025, with approximately 20,988 of the deaths resulting from pedestrian knockdowns.
The Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180), require pedestrians to use footbridges or underpasses where such facilities are provided.
Regulation 154(3) states that a pedestrian who fails to use a footbridge or underpass where one is provided commits an offence.
Under Regulation 154(10), a person who contravenes the provision is liable, upon summary conviction, to a fine of not more than five penalty units, imprisonment for up to seven days, or both.
Meanwhile, an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician at the National Ambulance Service (NAS), Dr Daniel Asare, has called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to prevent pedestrian knockdowns and other road crashes.
He said road crashes not only resulted in loss of lives but also had significant economic implications and placed additional pressure on the country’s emergency response system.
Dr Asare acknowledged that government investment in ambulances had improved emergency response times over the years but maintained that road crashes remained a major concern.
He explained that a serious pedestrian crash could tie up an ambulance for several hours, potentially delaying emergency medical assistance to other patients.
“One severe pedestrian crash can take one ambulance for several hours from the scene to the hospital.
“During that period, a pregnant woman in critical need of healthcare, a person with stroke, or a child with severe asthma has to wait with their life on the line for the next available ambulance,” he said.
He therefore urged pedestrians to make proper use of footbridges, stressing that preventing road crashes would help preserve emergency response resources for other people in need.
“What members of the public need to know is that footbridge use is better and safer than an ambulance; prevention is better than cure. When you cross safely, you are not only saving your life; you are saving the emergency response system for other people who need it to survive,” he added.
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