A total of 82 persons lost their lives through various road crashes in the Upper West Region in 2012, almost 50 per cent increase from the 65 who died through such accidents in 2011.
However, the number of persons who sustained injuries from road crashes decreased from 284 in 2011 to 264 in 2012.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Joseph Oppong, Upper West Regional Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa.
He said 66 of the number of persons who lost their lives in 2011 were males, while eight of them were females. In 2012 males who lost their lives were 75 as against 13 females.
According to the DSP Oppong, the number of cases reported had also increased from 187 in 2011 to 196 in 2012, while the number of vehicles involved also recorded an increase from 276 in 2011 to 287 in 2012.
He said in 2011, 60 of the vehicles were commercial, 90 private and 126 motor bikes, while in 2012, 52 were commercial, 97 private and 138 motor bikes.
DSP Oppong advised drivers to be cautious on the road when driving by avoiding over speeding, reckless overtaking and dangerous parking to reduce the likelihood of accidents.
He advised motor bike riders to endeavour to acquire licenses before riding or face the wrath of the police.
He gave the assurance that the police would continue to enforce road traffic regulations to the letter and appealed to the public to cooperate with the police to minimise frequent accidents on the roads.