Kobby Kyei Renews Respect For Zebra Crossings Campaign As Pedestrian Deaths Rise

Ghanaian blogger and humanitarian Kobby Kyei has renewed calls for motorists to respect zebra crossings, saying his advocacy on pedestrian safety was inspired by his own experience of failing to give pedestrians the right of way.

Kobby Kyei said he became concerned about the behaviour of motorists after repeatedly seeing elderly people, children and persons with disabilities struggle to cross roads at designated pedestrian crossings. He admitted that he had previously been part of the problem.

However, speaking on the Big Convo segment of the Culture Daily Morning Show on 3Music TV and Pluzz 89.9 Kobby Kyei said one day he stopped at a zebra crossing and helped an elderly woman cross the road.

The experience, he said, changed his attitude towards pedestrian crossings and prompted him to begin a campaign encouraging motorists to respect them.

“I need to start to respect zebra crossing,” he recalled thinking after the encounter.

Kobby Kyei subsequently visited schools and worked with road safety stakeholders on the campaign. He said support from the Norwegian ambassador also helped him construct zebra crossings around some schools. He later worked with the National Road Safety Authority on road safety advocacy.

His concerns come as pedestrian deaths remain a major road safety problem in Ghana.

The NRSA said pedestrian knockdown deaths increased from 590 in 2024 to 704 in 2025. In the first four months of 2026 alone, 666 pedestrian knockdowns and 181 deaths had been recorded nationwide, with Greater Accra accounting for 43 of the deaths.

The authority has described the increase in pedestrian fatalities as a public safety crisis. It says between 85% and 90% of road crashes are linked to human error, including speeding, wrongful overtaking and driving under the influence of substances.

The NRSA has urged motorists to exercise patience and give way to pedestrians.

The wider road safety picture is also worrying. Ghana recorded 14,743 road crashes and 2,949 deaths in 2025, according to figures from the NRSA. The fatalities represented an 18.2% increase from 2,494 deaths recorded in 2024.

Pedestrians accounted for 704 of the 2025 deaths, according to data cited in the Ghana Institution of Engineering’s 2026 presidential address.

Kobby Kyei said his campaign was also informed by the behaviour of drivers around schools.

He described situations in which motorists ignored people attempting to cross designated pedestrian points, arguing that road markings become meaningless when drivers do not respect them.

Under Ghana’s Road Traffic Act, drivers are required to give way to pedestrians on pedestrian crossings and are prohibited from overtaking within 30 metres of a pedestrian crossing.

Kobby Kyei said he nearly lost his life while conducting some of his road safety activities because of the behaviour of motorists.

He questioned why enforcement appeared more visible for some traffic offences than for failure to yield at zebra crossings.

The issue is particularly important in urban areas, where pedestrians, vehicles, motorcycles, commercial transport and roadside activity compete for limited road space.

Recent NRSA data show that pedestrian safety remains a significant challenge, reinforcing calls for both stronger enforcement and safer road infrastructure.

Kobby Kyei said road safety should not be treated simply as a government responsibility.

He said drivers, pedestrians, schools, parents and communities all have a role to play in making Ghana’s roads safer.