Aggressive Driving Now Common In Ghana - Stevens Driving Institute

As part of 3Music TV's Drive Safe Campaign, officials from the Stevens Driving Institute recently appeared on the Culture Daily morning show to address critical issues regarding road safety in Ghana. 

During the conversation, it was noted that aggressive driving has become a widespread behavior, no longer limited to specific groups like commercial or heavy-duty vehicle operators. Instead, it has become an increasingly common trait across all categories of motorists.

The panelists noted that many drivers on our roads exhibit an intense, often dangerous, desire to reach their destinations without delay. An act which contributes to accidents.

“That’s why we even talk about the types of drivers to expect, we have a lot of aggressive drivers on our roads. A lot of aggressive drivers,” Nene Williams of Stevens Driving Institute said. 

They also mentioned erratic maneuvers such as the abrupt switching of lanes without proper signals or mirror checks to capitalize on minor gaps in traffic. 

“ I think it is the human error as well. Like the portholes I was talking about, many people believe that you don't drive through portholes but as a very good driver you, don't just switch lanes. But in Ghana switching lanes is a thing, you see portholes - we just swerve. The challenge is before you switch lanes you are supposed to do the MSMM approach, you never avoid the portal without first using your mirror signaling. Then you use your mirror again before you maneuver around it,” Williams added. 

While many citizens blame road conditions for accidents, Director of Stevens Driving Institute, Mr. Steven Nkrumah emphasized that human error remains the greatest factor in road crashes. Aggression is a significant contributor to these errors, as drivers prioritize speed and impatience over adherence to traffic regulations and defensive driving technique. 

“These days, if you get onto a busy route you see that everybody is involved. It's as though everybody wants to get to their destination without delay. The use of our lane, switching lanes on a Monday morning. If everybody is going to stay in their lane and we go straight, we may as well get to our destination over a shorter period. But someone wants to switch to another lane because this is moving faster without indicating they just switch,” Mr. Nkrumah said. 

The discussion concluded that the discipline required on our roads ultimately boils down to enforcement. By strengthening the enforcement of traffic laws, authorities hope to curb the impulsive behaviors that currently characterize the driving culture in the country.

“We as road operators, after we've done the job, enforcing it also plays a major role. Because those agencies involved

in enforcing it have to make sure this enforcement part is taken seriously because almost all the discipline that we are seeing on our road boils down to enforcement,” Mr. Nkrumah added.