By Alex Ababio
The conviction and jailing of a driver captured in a viral video dangerously manoeuvring through traffic on the busy Accra–Kumasi Highway has reignited national debate over reckless driving, weak road discipline, and Ghana’s worsening road safety crisis.
The Ghana Police Service announced that it had secured the conviction of Agyarko Richard, driver of a Toyota Voxy with registration number EN 551-26, after a widely circulated social media video showed him allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road and endangering lives along one of Ghana’s busiest transport corridors.
In a statement issued on May 8, 2026, the Police said officers from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) launched investigations immediately after the footage surfaced online.
According to the Police, the suspect was charged with “driving on the wrong side of the road, causing road obstruction, causing danger to other road users, and careless and inconsiderate driving, contrary to the Road Traffic Regulations and the Road Traffic Act.”
The accused was arraigned before the La Motor Court, presided over by Her Worship Adwoa Sakyi Asumadu, where he pleaded guilty to all charges.
“The accused was arraigned before the La Motor Court, presided over by Her Worship Adwoa Sakyi Asumadu, where he pleaded guilty to all charges. He was convicted on his own plea and sentenced to pay a fine of 260 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢3,120.00, or in default serve 15 days imprisonment in hard labour. He was additionally sentenced to two months imprisonment in hard labour,” the Police statement said.
The conviction has been welcomed by road safety advocates who say Ghana urgently needs stricter enforcement and deterrent punishments to curb growing recklessness on highways.
Viral Videos and Dangerous Highway Culture
The Accra–Kumasi Highway, a major commercial route connecting the capital to the Ashanti Region and northern Ghana, has increasingly become notorious for dangerous overtaking, speeding, fatigued driving, and indiscipline among both private and commercial drivers.
Transport safety analysts say social media has recently become an unexpected accountability tool, exposing dangerous driving behaviour that might otherwise go unpunished.
The viral footage involving Agyarko Richard sparked outrage among motorists and commuters, with many social media users demanding immediate prosecution.
Road safety campaigners argue that such incidents are not isolated.
According to provisional statistics from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Ghana recorded 13,489 road crashes in 2024, resulting in 2,494 deaths and more than 15,600 injuries.
The figures represented an increase from the 2,276 deaths recorded in 2023, underscoring what experts describe as a worsening public safety emergency.
Data from the NRSA further revealed that wrongful overtaking, speeding, careless driving, and failure to observe traffic regulations remain among the leading causes of fatal crashes nationwide.
Experts Warn of “Normalised Recklessness”
Road safety experts say reckless driving on highways such as Accra–Kumasi has become dangerously normalised.
David Osafo Adonteng, Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), has repeatedly warned about the growing death toll linked to speeding and wrongful overtaking.
Speaking during the launch of the 2024 Driver’s Challenge in Accra, Mr. Adonteng disclosed that approximately 2,000 people had already died through road crashes by mid-2024.
According to him, “on average, eight persons die daily in the country through road accidents.”
The NRSA has consistently identified overspeeding and dangerous overtaking as major contributors to crashes on long-distance highways.
Mrs. Pearl Adusu Sateckla, Head of Public Relations at the NRSA, also stated in an interview with the Ghanaian Times that many crashes are linked to “overspeeding and fatigued driving.”
Road safety researchers say the problem extends beyond individual drivers to broader enforcement failures.
Dr. Raphael Awuah, Regional Technical Advisor for Africa at Vital Strategies, warned during the presentation of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety report in Accra that vulnerable road users continue to face escalating dangers because of poor compliance with road safety laws.
The report found that pedestrians, motorbike riders, and cyclists accounted for 86 percent of reported road traffic fatalities in 2024.
WHO Raises Alarm Over Ghana’s Rising Fatality Rate
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also expressed concern over Ghana’s road traffic death rate.
In a recent assessment praising Ghana’s updated road safety laws and standards, the WHO disclosed that road traffic deaths in Ghana rose by 65 percent between 2016 and 2021 to nearly 3,000 deaths annually.
According to the WHO, Ghana records close to 26 road deaths per 100,000 population — significantly higher than the African regional average of 19 per 100,000 and the global average of 15 per 100,000.
The WHO said Ghana’s newly adopted road safety reforms, including stricter child restraint and motorcycle helmet standards introduced in late 2025, align the country more closely with international road safety recommendations.
However, road safety analysts insist legislation alone will not solve the crisis without aggressive enforcement.
Accra–Kumasi Highway Remains a High-Risk Corridor
The Accra–Kumasi Highway has long been identified as one of Ghana’s deadliest transport routes due to heavy cargo traffic, poor overtaking practices, speeding, and driver fatigue.
Commercial drivers operating on the corridor often race against time to maximise daily trips, while private motorists engage in dangerous overtaking manoeuvres on narrow stretches.
Several road users interviewed by local media over the years have repeatedly complained about reckless driving culture and weak traffic enforcement on the highway.
Public frustration has also been visible in online discussions where motorists blame dangerous overtaking and indiscipline for frequent crashes.
Some users on online forums discussing Ghana’s road safety situation described the highway as a corridor where drivers “speed” regularly and where accidents are commonly witnessed.
Others criticised poor enforcement and weak vehicle inspections, arguing that many unroadworthy vehicles continue to operate with little scrutiny.
Police Crackdown Intensifies
The Ghana Police Service says it is intensifying enforcement against dangerous driving and traffic offences nationwide.
The prosecution of Agyarko Richard is being viewed as part of a broader effort by the MTTD to use digital evidence and viral social media footage to identify offenders.
In recent years, the Police have increasingly relied on videos recorded by passengers, pedestrians, and other motorists to investigate traffic offences.
Security analysts say the growing use of social media evidence is changing accountability dynamics on Ghana’s roads.
The Police, in their latest statement, reiterated their commitment to enforcing road traffic laws.
“Motorists are urged to drive responsibly and comply with all road traffic regulations to help protect lives and property,” the Service cautioned.
The Police further warned that reckless driving continues to pose a serious threat to public safety and assured the public that offenders would be dealt with according to the law.
Rising Deaths Despite Campaigns
Despite repeated road safety campaigns, Ghana’s crash statistics continue to rise.
Between January and June 2024 alone, the NRSA recorded 6,653 crashes involving 11,283 vehicles, leading to 1,237 deaths and more than 7,500 injuries.
By the first quarter of 2025, another 752 deaths had already been recorded.
The NRSA’s 2025 national crash report also showed an 18.9 percent increase in fatalities during the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
Transport policy experts say Ghana risks further escalation unless authorities combine tougher punishment, highway surveillance systems, driver retraining, and consistent prosecution of offenders.
For many commuters who regularly travel the Accra–Kumasi route, the sentencing of Agyarko Richard represents more than a single conviction — it reflects growing public demand for accountability on roads increasingly viewed as deadly battlegrounds.
As Ghana struggles with rising crash fatalities, the case may signal a tougher era for reckless drivers whose dangerous actions are now being captured, shared, and prosecuted in real time.