Refereed Journals

Hit-and-run crashes often have severe consequences for vulnerable road users. In light of governmental efforts to promote pedestrian-friendly urban environments, the significance of these crashes cannot be overstated. In this study, we assessed the factors that influence the injury severity of pedestrians involved in hit-and-run crashes in Ghana. Historical crash data (1469 observations) spanning from 2013 to 2020 was used in this study. An injury-severity model was developed using random parameters logit approach to assess what crash factors significantly affect the injury outcome of the crashes. It was observed that hit-and-run crashes that occur on dark and unlit roadways were more likely to result in fatal injuries. Also, female pedestrians were less likely to be killed in hit-and-run crashes. These findings provide the basis for developing and implementing appropriate countermeasures, such as punitive laws for drivers who leave the crash scene and protective laws for those who help their victims.

In low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) pedestrians and cyclists account for approximately 26 % of the road traffic deaths, which is a considerable amount as it is well known that the majority (90 %) of the world's road traffic deaths occur in these countries. In Africa however, pedestrian and cyclist deaths account for 44 % of their yearly road related deaths. Ghana is no exception to this trend; in fact, it has been estimated that pedestrian crashes alone account for 36.7 % of road related deaths in the country. Therefore, the objective of this study is to use historical crash records from 2018 to 2020 to explore pedestrian-vehicle crashes in Ghana, to identify the groups of pedestrians represented in pedestrian-vehicle crashes by use of a latent class analysis (LCA) model, then conduct injury severity analyses using a mixed logit approach on each pedestrian group found in the LCA modeling. Results indicate that by segmenting the pedestrian crash data into homogenous groups, some variables were found to only be significantly associated with injury severity within some classes. Other variables were found to be significant across multiple classes yet experience different trends within each. For example, no traffic control was found to be significant within three subgroups but affect severity levels differently across classes. Further the darker hours of the day were more likely to be associated with fatal and major injury outcomes across multiple classes. This study provides new direction for studying different types of pedestrian crashes, particularly in LMICs and provides targeted interventions.

Despite the recent decline in child deaths caused by road traffic crashes in high income countries, low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) have yet to experience a similar trend. Children are among the most vulnerable of road users accounting for 30–40 % of all road traffic deaths in LMICs, 50 % of which are vehicle occupants. Previous research suggests that children ages 0–9 are the second most vulnerable age group in Ghana with 54 % of the children being fatally injured in injury-related crashes. However, little has been done to identify the associated factors influencing injury severity outcomes for child passengers in Ghana. This study investigates the factors that are associated with the various injury severity outcomes for child vehicle occupants less than 9 years old involved in road crashes in Ghana from 2014 to 2020. Results indicate that older child passengers (aged 5–8) were associated with lower injury severities compared to younger passengers. Additionally, crashes in which the driver sustained more severe injuries resulted in a higher likelihood of the child passengers sustaining a fatal injury. Findings from this research emphasize the issue of child passenger safety and support transportation policy and decision making to reduce risks of injury for child passengers.

This research presents findings from experiments conducted on the strength and deformation characteristics of concrete beams reinforced with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) bars and conventional steel bars as control. The mechanical properties of the GFRP bars and steel bars (10mm and 12mm nominal diameter) used were ascertained. A total of seven (7) reinforced concrete (RC) beams measuring 120mm x 200mm x 2000mm were cast, six (6) of which were GFRP reinforced and one (1) was steel reinforced, and were loaded incrementally until failure. Test variables of two concrete grades, C25 and C30, were adopted in conjunction with two tensile reinforcement ratios of 0.7% and 1.13% for the concrete beams. A uniform compression reinforcement ratio of 0.7% was implemented along with a transverse shear reinforcement ratio of 0.65% for all beams. The data gathered were analyzed using theoretical and experimental approach to provide an insight to deformation characteristics of the reinforced concrete beams cast. An estimation for the theoretical failure load from fracture of tension bars were based on a partial factor of safety (γm) of 1.52 for the tensile strength of GFRP. The study examined the deformational behavior including load-deflection response, crack propagation, flexural capacity and failure modes under a four-point monotonic loading test. The experimental results revealed that the GFRP reinforced concrete beams exhibited typical bilinear elastic behavior under static loading with a reduction in stiffness after cracking. The GFRP RC beams failed by sudden concrete crushing due to shear-bond failure, diagonal tension failure in the concrete, and flexural failure in contrast to the steel reinforced concrete beam which failed due to yielding of the steel tension bars. The investigation further highlighted that increasing the concrete compressive strength and the tensile reinforcement ratio of GFRP RC beams significantly improved their structural performance, reducing crack widths and increasing failure loads. GFRP RC beams recorded higher ultimate load capacities and deformations compared to steel-reinforced beams, despite their brittle failure modes. Further aligning with previous research, findings revealed that higher concrete strength leads to a greater number of cracks, but with reduced spacing and narrower widths.

The dependence of groundwater quality on borehole depth is usually debatable in groundwater studies, especially in complex geological formations where aquifer characteristics vary spatially with depth. This study therefore seeks to investigate the relationship between borehole depth and groundwater quality across the granitoid aquifers within the Birimian Supergroup in the Ashanti Region.

Physicochemical analysis records of groundwater quality data were 
collected from 23 boreholes of public and private institutions in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, and the parametric values of iron, fluoride, total hardness, pH, nitrate, and nitrite were used to study the groundwater quality-depth relationship. The results showed that the depth-to-groundwater quality indicated a marginal increase in water quality in the range of 30 to 50 m, which is mathematically represented by the low-value correlation coefficient (r2 = 0.026).
A relatively significant increase occurs in the depth range of 50 to 80 m, which is given by a correlation coefficient of r2 = 0.298. The mean percent parameter compatibility was 74%, 82%, 89%, and 97% at 50, 60, 70, and 80 m depths, respectively. The variations in groundwater quality per depth ratio ranged from 1.48, 1.37, 1.27, and 1.21 for 50, 60, 70, and 80 m depth, respectively. 

The recommended minimum borehole depth for excellent groundwater quality is suggested with a compatibility per meter depth ratio of 1.37. This results in a range between 50 and 70 m as the most desirable drilling depth for excellent groundwater quality within the granitoids of the Birimian Supergroup of the Ashanti Region in Ghana