Reported Incidence of Motorcycle Crash in Pentecost Hospital, Ghana

BACKGROUND OF STUDY

An Accident is defined as “a crash” (an incident involving a moving vehicle that results in property damage, personal injury or death), “a mishap” (an unplanned and unfortunate event that results in damage, injury or upsets of some kind), “a chance” (the way things happen without any planning, apparent cause or deliberate intent).  The safety of motorcyclists on our nation roads has become an increasing concern among traffic safety professionals and stakeholders. Motorcycle accidents can be traumatic and tragic events. The lack of a protective barrier between the driver and the road ultimately leaves motorcyclists in a very vulnerable position. There are many common causes of motorcycle accidents, one of the most predominant ones are other motorists (cars, trucks) not seeing or recognizing motorcycles in dense traffic. Other motorcycle collision also includes riders who are inexperienced and simply do not know the limitations of their motorcycle and tend to push beyond the limits. Of course, speeding is not solely restricted to new and young motorcyclists, as often older and more experienced drivers are also guilty of operating their bikes beyond the legal maximum speed. Many motorcyclists love the feel of the wind blowing through their hair, the freedom of the open road and the thrill of going so fast at a mere few inches from the asphalt but, traveling at velocities over the speed limit can have dire consequences. A simple slip of the wheel or unexpected obstacle in front of the motorcycle can send the driver reeling out of control.