Ghana's new national road traffic act and new safety standards for child restraints in vehicles and motorcycle helmets will prevent deaths and serious injuries from road crashes.
The new law and standards were adopted by Ghana's parliament in December 2025 and came into force in early 2026. They bring the country largely into line with WHO road safety legal recommendations.
Road deaths in Ghana increased by 65% between 2016 and 2021 to a reported annual toll of nearly 3000. With nearly 26 road deaths per 100 000 population, Ghana's fatality rate is far higher than the WHO African Regional average of 19 per 100 000, and the global average of 15 deaths per 100 000.
"Ghana's amendment to the national road traffic act and new safety standards marks a major step forward for road safety. WHO is proud to have helped shape these changes that will save lives on the roads. Good laws and policies, strong leadership, coordination and enforcement are key to building safe transport systems that prioritize people and safety," said Dr Fiona Braka, WHO Representative in Ghana.
The new law on child safety restraints meets all WHO recommendations, including the use of child car seats that are linked to the age, height, weight, and physical vulnerabilities of infants and young children.
Child safety restraints have been shown to reduce deaths in crashes by up to 71% among younger infants and WHO has produced a manual for decision-makers on the use of vehicle occupant restraints .
Drinking and driving significantly raises the risk of fatal road crashes. Between 33% and 69% of all drivers killed in road collisions in low-and middle-income countries have been shown to have consumed alcohol.
Ghana has strengthened its national drink-driving law by lowering the blood alcohol limit for drivers from 0.08 to 0.05 grams per deciliter, which meets most WHO legal recommendations.
Motorcycle riders account for a third of all road deaths in Ghana, and all riders must now wear safe and high-quality helmets. In a crash, high-quality helmets reduce the risk of death by more than 6 times .
With support from WHO, a range of partners and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety , since 2007, more than 60 countries have improved laws on key risk factors for fatal road crashes, like safe speed limits, drink-driving, and the use of seatbelts, child-restraints and motorcycle helmets.
Ghana's progress comes in the lead up to the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety where global leaders will share plans to accelerate action to meet the global goal of halving road deaths and injuries by 2030.
There are nearly 1.2 million road traffic deaths worldwide each year. Road crashes are the leading cause of death among children and young people aged 5-29.
