NRSA Amplifies Road Safety Awareness with Digital Content Push

The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has announced plans to intensify the use of digital content, including animations, skits, and social media influencers, to enhance road safety awareness, particularly among young people. Henry Asomani, the Deputy Director of Planning and Programmes at NRSA, explained that the shift was necessary due to the growing inability of traditional outreach methods to reach the youth, who now dominate digital spaces. “We are in the digital world. Whether we like it or not, most traditional approaches are no longer effective in reaching young people. We intend to intensify social media engagement, and that is the way forward,” he told the Ghana News Agency. Mr Asomani said the Authority plans to deploy short animations, viral skits, and collaborations with popular personalities to promote safe road use. “Everybody is on their phones. If you create a skit that goes viral, almost everyone sees it. That is why we want to use skits and animations to preach road safety,” he explained. While NRSA will continue traditional outreach and media programmes, the digital approach is intended to complement and elevate existing strategies. “Our goal is not to abandon traditional methods but to take road safety education a notch higher by incorporating digital tools,” he added. The Deputy Director identified funding as a major challenge to improving road safety nationwide, noting that, beyond enforcement and education, significant investment is needed in infrastructure such as pedestrian footbridges, road signage, and protective barriers. “Most of the time, when funding is inadequate, safety infrastructure is neglected. Roads are built for vehicles, but pedestrians, motorcyclists, and cyclists are often left out,” he said. Mr Asomani also highlighted the dangers posed by Ghana’s predominantly single-carriage highways, which contribute significantly to head-on collisions. He cited the Suhum–Teacher Mante stretch, noting that its dualisation had eliminated its status as a crash-prone “black spot.” “When roads are dualised, we don’t expect head-on collisions anymore. Expanding and dualising highways across the country would significantly reduce fatal crashes,” he said, praising the government’s “Big Push” infrastructure agenda. He added that human behaviour accounts for about 90 per cent of road crashes, underscoring the need for sustained behaviour change campaigns. “Even if we fix the roads and vehicles, the human factor remains critical,” he said. Mr Asomani commended the Ghana Police Service for implementing technology-driven enforcement systems, such as traffic monitoring cameras, which help reduce speeding and eliminate human interference in enforcement. “With traffic technology, you may not know where the camera is, but you know you are being monitored. That alone changes behaviour,” he noted. He also acknowledged efforts by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to improve driver training content and public sensitisation. Over the years, NRSA has rolled out campaigns such as passenger-focused speaker programmes and the media-led “Stay Alive” campaign. This year, the Authority plans to launch an intensified road safety visibility campaign aimed at reaching all Ghanaians. “When we talk about visibility, it is not about the Authority but about road safety itself. We want everyone to understand and live road safety,” he concluded.