Road traffic accidents and macroeconomic conditions in Ghana

Abstract

The main objectives of the study are to determine the impact of road traffic accidents on economic growth and also examine the effect that macroeconomic variables have on road traffic crashes in Ghana. The ordinary least squares method of statistical estimation was used in this study. The results obtained were very robust and valid. The study revealed that road traffic accidents affect economic growth negatively and the degree of the negative effect is 0.209588%, implying that, increase in road traffic accidents in Ghana, is a greater cost to the nation, all other things being constant. The study showed that, the major macroeconomic variables that affect road traffic accidents in Ghana are the size of the Ghanaian economy (GDP), standard of living of the citizens of Ghana (GDP per capita) and government spending. The study recommended that the use of safety helmet and belt must be enforced as well as strict rules regarding license issuing and ban of using mobile phone while driving