Get behind the wheel in Accra on any given morning and you are sharing the road with market traders, school runs, long haul trucks bound for Kumasi or Takoradi, and a steady stream of motorcycle taxis weaving through gaps that barely exist. Accra’s traffic can be chaotic, and it comes with real consequences. The National Road Safety Authority counted 14,743 crashes across the country in 2025 alone, and 2,949 people did not survive them, a sharp jump from the year before.
Here is the part worth holding onto. Most of what keeps you safe, and out of trouble at a police checkpoint in Ghana, is within your control. Carry the right paperwork, understand what the newest traffic law actually changed, and know how to act when an officer waves you down. None of it is complicated. It just has to be done.
How Dangerous Are Ghana’s Roads Right Now?
Put a number on it and the picture gets uncomfortable fast. Close to 26 people die per 100,000 population on Ghana’s roads each year, well above the World Health Organization’s African regional average of 19, and nearly double the global average of 15. Between 2016 and 2021, the death toll climbed 65 percent, and it has not meaningfully come back down since. Just in the first six months of 2024, the country logged 6,653 crashes, over 11,000 vehicles involved, 8,798 people hurt or killed, 1,237 of them fatally.
Speed is the thread running through nearly all of it. NRSA research puts the number of drivers who ignore posted speed limits at roughly 90 percent, and the authority ties most serious crashes back to speed paired with reckless overtaking. There is a price tag too. The NRSA’s own estimate puts the annual economic cost of these crashes at close to 1.2 billion dollars.
What Changed Under Ghana’s New Road Traffic Law?
Traffic backs up at a checkpoint, a familiar sight on Ghana’s busier routes during peak hours.
On December 11, 2025, Parliament pushed through the Road Traffic Amendment Bill under a certificate of urgency. It came into force in early 2026 as Act 1153, and it is arguably the biggest single update to Ghana’s road rules in years, one that brings the country’s laws much closer in line with what the World Health Organization has been recommending.
Here is what actually shifted.
| Area | What changed under Act 1153 |
| Alcohol limit | The legal blood alcohol concentration limit for drivers has been lowered |
| Seatbelts | Now mandatory for every seat in the vehicle, not only the driver and front passenger |
| Children | Under 12s are no longer permitted in the front seat, and child restraint systems are required up to that age |
| Rest breaks | Long distance drivers must take at least 30 minutes of rest after every 4 hours of continuous driving |
| Phones | Handheld phone use while driving remains banned, hands free devices only |
| Okada and tricycles | Commercial motorcycles, tricycles, and quadricycles are now regulated rather than banned outright, under new licensing rules |
| Emissions | All vehicles must pass emissions testing as part of roadworthiness checks |
What Documents Do You Need to Carry While Driving?
Before you turn the key, make sure you are actually road legal. That starts with a valid driver’s licence, the original, not a photo of it on your phone, and you need to be at least 18 for a private car licence, Class B. Arrived in Ghana with a licence from somewhere else? Our guide on converting a foreign driver’s license in Ghana walks through what that actually involves.
Then there is the rest of the stack: a Vehicle Registration Certificate from the DVLA, renewed every year, third party liability insurance under the Insurance Act, and a Roadworthiness Certificate from a DVLA inspection or an authorised private test station. Still weighing a dealership car against a tokunbo import? Our guide to buying a car in Ghana covers what paperwork comes attached to each route.
None of this is optional, and letting it lapse costs more than a fine. The DVLA charges delinquency fees on expired licences and certificates, and every checkpoint you pass becomes a small piece of legal exposure until you sort it out.
How Do You Check Your Insurance Is Active?
Dial *920*57# on your phone. Ten seconds later you have your insurer’s name and your policy’s expiry date, no guessing required before an officer asks to see it.
When Are Police Allowed to Stop You?
An MTTD officer holds traffic steady on a busy stretch of road, patrol truck parked close behind.
Officers from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department are not stopping cars at random, even if it can feel that way. Ghana’s Road Traffic Act gives them a defined list of reasons. An unroadworthy vehicle qualifies, think broken lights, worn tyres, a cracked windshield, thick exhaust smoke pouring out the back.
A visible traffic violation qualifies too, running a light, cutting into oncoming traffic. Suspected drunk driving can bring out a breathalyzer on the spot. Officers can also check that your licence, insurance, and registration are real and current, and unauthorised modifications to your vehicle give them grounds as well.
Knowing this will not make a stop pleasant. It does tell you what an officer can actually ask for, and what they cannot.
What Causes Most Road Accidents in Ghana?
Speed, mostly, and almost always paired with reckless overtaking on Ghana’s narrower stretches of highway. Drunk driving accounts for roughly one crash in ten, which is exactly why Act 1153 tightened the legal alcohol limit. Distraction is its own problem, a phone glance at highway speed does not need long to go wrong, and the law leaves no room for interpretation here: hands free, always.
Vehicle condition plays its part too. Bad brakes, bald tyres, a headlight that has not worked in months, these are not just things an inspector flags. They are exactly what gives an officer grounds to pull you over, and every one of them is fixable with regular servicing.
How Should You Behave at a Checkpoint?
Getting waved down does not have to turn into a standoff. Slow down, pull over, cut the engine, roll down your window, keep your hands where the officer can see them. Small things, but they set the tone immediately. Greet the officer like a person, and hand over your documents when asked, the original licence, not a photo of it.
Asked to step out of the car? An officer can request that, so do it without an argument. Handed a fine? Ask for the receipt. A legitimate fine always has one attached. If there is no paperwork, something is wrong.
What Should You Do if You Suspect a Bribe Request?
A checkpoint does not need an elaborate setup, just an officer, a bike, and a clear stretch of road.
Some checkpoints do come with an informal payment ask, that is a documented reality here, and it is not something to shrug off as normal. Your best defence is simply knowing your rights. If money is requested outside a formal fine, ask exactly what offence you are being charged with and ask for it in writing.
Always get a receipt for anything you pay. If something feels off, take down the officer’s name and badge number and follow up afterward with the Ghana Police Service Professional Standards Bureau, the NRSA, or the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice. The roadside is not the place to argue it out.
What Should You Know About Night Driving and Breakdowns?
Driving after dark carries its own risks here: harder visibility, tired drivers, and a higher chance of running into someone who has had one too many. Check your headlights before you leave, and actually take the mandatory rest stop, 30 minutes after every four hours, rather than pushing through on willpower.
Broken down? Hazards on immediately. Set a reflective triangle at least 50 metres behind the car if you are on a highway, and get passengers off the road and clear of traffic. Ghana’s emergency number is 112. Any accident with injury or real damage needs a police report, both because it is the right thing to do and because your insurer will ask for one.
How Can Pedestrians Stay Safer on Ghana’s Roads?
Pedestrians take on all the risk in a collision and have nothing protecting them. In just the first half of 2024, over a thousand were struck on Ghana’s roads. Slow down near schools, markets, and hospitals. Yield at zebra crossings, every time. These are not courtesies, they are the baseline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Act 1153? It is Ghana’s Road Traffic Amendment Act, passed on December 11, 2025 and in force since early 2026. Between them, its provisions lower the legal alcohol limit, require seatbelts for every passenger and restraint systems for children, add mandatory rest breaks for long distance drivers, and bring commercial motorcycles and tricycles into a regulated system instead of leaving them outside the law entirely.
What documents must I carry while driving in Ghana? Your original driver’s licence, your Vehicle Registration Certificate, proof of third party insurance, and a current Roadworthiness Certificate. A copy of your licence will not do.
How do I check if my car insurance is still valid? Dial *920*57# from any phone. It will show your insurer and your policy’s expiry date right away.
Can the police stop me for any reason? No, they need cause: an unroadworthy vehicle, a visible traffic violation, suspected drunk driving, a routine document check, or unauthorised modifications to the car.
What should I do if an officer asks for money outside of an official fine? Ask exactly what offence is being cited and ask for it in writing. Get a receipt for anything you pay. If it still feels wrong, note the officer’s name and badge number and report it afterward to the Ghana Police Service Professional Standards Bureau or the NRSA, rather than arguing at the roadside.
Is it legal to use my phone while driving in Ghana? Not handheld. Hands free devices only.
What is Ghana’s emergency number for road accidents? 112. Call it immediately for any accident involving injury or significant damage.
Are children required to sit in the back seat? Yes. Under Act 1153, under 12s cannot ride in the front, and a child restraint system is required up to that age.
