The Upper West Region recorded 72 road crashes in the first half of this year, Ghana Police Service has said.

The figure represented a slight increase over last year’s figure of 63 for the same period.

The number of serious cases also increased from 17, in the first half of 2018, to 37 for the same period this year, whilst a number of persons killed reduced from 36 to 28.

According to the Police, a lot of motorcycles were estimated to have been involved in the crashes this year.

The figures were released to the Ghanaian Times at Wa on Wednesday by the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Upper West Regional Police Command.

Explaining the dynamics, the Public Relations Officer for the Command, Inspector Gideon Ohene Boateng said the abundance of tricycles on the road had triggered road crashes as most of them were operated by very young people who did not know much about road traffic signs and regulations.

“Carelessness on our roads have become quite rampant in the region despite efforts by the police to maintain law and order and this is because many of the operators of the tricycles do not have any knowledge about using the road and therefore cause accidents at any given time,” he stated.

Overspeeding and riding without helmet, he said, had become the bane of the day, leading to very serious crashes as such victims suffered great damage during the accidents or even lost their lives.

“It will rather be beneficial if road users become defensive road users and take extra caution on the road so they are able to avoid people who are using the road offensively and are likely to cause accidents,” Inspector Boateng advised.

He also advised road users to endeavour to study road signs and get used to them in order to avoid flouting road traffic rules and regulations, thereby leading to preventable accidents on the road.

The PRO urged drivers and riders to ensure that they renewed their roadworthy certificates and driving licences before hitting the road, and assured the public that the police would continue to maintain law and order on the road.