Understanding the Effect of Climate Change on Road Safety in Ghana

Kwame Nkrumah University/Science/Tech, Kumasi

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Abstract

In this response to NOT-TW-22-003, we propose an administrative supplement to D43 TW007267 (Strengthening Injury Control Research in Ghana and West Africa). This supplement is entitled “Understanding the effect of climate change on road safety in southern Ghana”. This supplement on climate change and health (CCH) is within the scope of our D43 training grant in injury research as: (1) our mentors and scholars have conducted extensive research on road safety in Ghana and thus our program is well poised to undertake similar research on the effects of climate change on road safety; (2) injury control addresses a wide spectrum of biomedical research issues, including identifying and quantifying risk factors, and thus addressing climate change is a natural extension of such work; and (3) our 17 year experience in training and mentored research is flexible, multifaceted, and eminently applicable to CCH. Broad goal: To strengthen the capacity for research on climate change and health at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), by engaging junior researchers in innovative, mentored research to better understand the effect of climate change on road safety in Ghana. Specific aim 1: Using existing data on police-reported crashes, to determine whether the proportion of all crashes during the year that occur during those months most associated with extreme weather (the rainy season - June-July - and the dry season - January-February) has increased over the past 30 years. Specific aim 2: Through interviews with 400 commercial drivers, assess what climatic hazards commercial drivers have noticed, especially during the rainy and dry seasons, and how these hazards may have changed during the past 10 years. Specific aim 3: To obtain twice-weekly baseline measurements of important meteorological parameters (rainfall, humidity, temperature, dust concentration, and aerosol optical depth – a measure of visibility) that affect road safety, at 5 crash hot-spots in southern Ghana, during 6 months. The specific months will be: dry season (January-February), rainy season (June-July), and two interim months (April, November). These will establish baseline measurements for future monitoring and research.