Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) are a major public health issue that brings many threats to the lives of individuals from poor and middle-income countries like Ghana. This qualitative research study investigates community perceptions of speed and road safety in Agona Swedru, Ghana. A team of 89 respondents consisting of licensed drivers, pedestrians, and community leaders were interviewed in this research. The interview was aimed at exploring their attitudes toward speeding, awareness of existing regulations, and challenges with regards to road safety in general. Among the findings are that the speed was imposed by economic pressure particularly where commercial drivers were the major drivers of speed. In addition, the study found that a lack of speed bumps and road signage among infrastructural deficiencies increases risks. Although there is fairly high awareness of safety regulations, compliance is limited by weak enforcement and corruption. Public awareness campaigns were interpreted as quite ineffective on the ground as they do not take into account socio-economic realities. The study thus recommends an integrated approach to road safety, which stands for improving infrastructure as well as strong enforcement and inclusive public awareness campaigns. Speeding will decrease and safety will increase in Agona Swedru, thus creating sustainable solutions for road safety in Ghana.

Keywords: Road safety, Speeding, Perception study, Agona Swedru, Policy recommendations