By Shadrack Nii Yarboi YARTEY
Ghana’s road safety crisis is reaching alarming levels, claiming thousands of lives each year and posing a serious threat to national development. In 2023 alone, 2,494 Ghanaians lost their lives to road crashes, and another 15,607 sustained injuries.
Within the first five months of 2024, the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) reported 1,267 deaths from road accidents. These figures are not just statistics, they are a damning indictment of the country’s road safety framework.
Among the many contributing factors, three stand out prominently: alcohol-impaired driving, excessive speeding, and broken-down vehicles on the road. These are risks that can be tackled with the right policy and legal interventions. In other words, the solutions are within reach.
Despite the well-known dangers of drink-driving, Ghana continues to operate with a legal Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit of 0.08 percent. This is one of the highest thresholds globally and is increasingly out of sync with international best practices. To reduce the mounting toll of road crashes, Ghana must revise and enforce a lower BAC limit of 0.05 percent which is a shift supported by scientific evidence and international precedent.
The Cost of Inaction
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1.3 million people die in road crashes globally each year, with low- and middle-income countries like Ghana bearing the brunt. Road traffic injuries have become a public health emergency.
In 2024, the NRSA recorded 14,135 road crashes in Ghana, resulting in 2,276 deaths and over 15,400 injuries. Alarmingly, up to 10 percent of these crashes are linked to alcohol-impaired driving.
Yet, the legal response remains outdated, primarily due to the 0.08 percent BAC limit set under the Road Traffic Act of 2004 (Act 683). This high threshold allows significant impairment before any legal consequences are triggered, placing not just the intoxicated driver but countless others at risk.
Despite the growing number of casualties, the law still permits a level of alcohol in drivers that scientific studies have shown impairs judgment, coordination, and reaction time. The cost of this inaction is staggering—not only in lives lost but also in economic terms. The NRSA estimates that road traffic crashes cost Ghana approximately $1.2 billion annually, or about 1.6 percent of the national GDP.
Why 0.05% Makes Sense?
Scientific research overwhelmingly supports a lower BAC limit. Impairment begins well before a person reaches 0.08 percent BAC. Studies show that by 0.05 percent, critical faculties such as reaction time, visual coordination, and decision-making are already compromised.
The Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation found that drivers with a BAC between 0.05 and 0.08 percent are at least seven times more likely to be involved in a fatal single-vehicle crash than sober drivers.
International evidence further supports this. Countries that have reduced their BAC limit to 0.05 percent have seen a 5 to 10 percent drop in alcohol-related crashes. Japan, for example, recorded a 38 percent decline in alcohol-related accidents of all severities after adopting a 0.05 percent limit. These numbers show that lowering the BAC limit is not just a regulatory measure but a public health intervention that saves lives.
A Global Standard Ghana Must Embrace
Ghana’s BAC law stands apart from global norms. More than 85 countries, including those in the European Union, Canada, Australia, and Japan, have adopted a BAC limit of 0.05 percent or lower. These countries have paired legislation with rigorous enforcement and sustained public education.
In 2017, Utah became the first state in the U.S. to adopt a 0.05 percent BAC limit. The result was a measurable drop in alcohol-related traffic fatalities without any significant effect on general alcohol consumption. The lesson here is simple: reforming the law can protect lives without necessarily interfering with cultural practices.
Enforcement: The Missing Piece
Laws are only effective if they are enforced. As the WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, aptly put it, “Lowering blood alcohol concentration limits and enforcing them through random breath testing and sobriety checkpoints are among the most effective strategies for reducing alcohol-related road crashes.”
Any revision to Ghana’s BAC limit must go hand-in-hand with strong enforcement mechanisms. This means equipping the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service with the tools and training to carry out roadside breath testing. Public education campaigns must also play a central role in raising awareness about the new limits and the dangers of drink-driving.
Respecting Culture, Prioritizing Safety
Alcohol is a central part of many Ghanaian social gatherings, from weddings and funerals to festivals and casual events. But cultural traditions should not outweigh public safety. Lowering the BAC limit is not an attack on these traditions. Rather, it is a safeguard against reckless behavior that puts innocent lives at risk.
The Ministry of Transport has already initiated discussions around revising the BAC threshold, and several civil society organizations—including CUTS International Accra, LADA Institute, Legal Resource Centre, BIGRS and Vital Strategies are actively supporting this move. What is needed now is strong political will and coordinated action among all relevant stakeholders to take these
Conclusion
Resetting Ghana’s road safety ecosystem starts with aligning our laws with science, reason, and global best practices. Reducing the legal BAC limit from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent and enforcing it rigorously is not only a sensible policy but a moral imperative.
The writer is with CUTS International, Accra. For more information visit (www.cuts-accra.org) or email: [email protected]
