Background Road Traffic Injuries (RTI) is the 19th leading cause of disability-adjusted life years in Ghana, and this burden translates into 1.68% of total disability-adjusted life years. Speeding has been identified as a major risk factor for RTI in Ghana. Despite the public health significance of road traffic injuries in the Greater Accra region, little information is known about the determinants of speeding in the city. The overall objective of this study was to assess the characteristics and determinants of speeding in the city of Accra.

Methods Five rounds of speed observational studies were obtained from six randomly selected locations representative of the city of Accra. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine the characteristics and risk factors for speeding.

Results Out of the 86 619 vehicles observed, 73.3% were observed to be driving above the posted speed limit. Disaggregated by the day of the week, the speeding rate was higher on weekends than weekdays in all rounds (74.3% vs 72.8%). When disaggregated by vehicle ownership, there were significant differences in the prevalence of speeding. The highest prevalence was observed among private, government and taxi ownership. The mean speed for all vehicles was 67.1 km/hr. and 84.3 km/hr. respectively on roads with a posted speed limit of 50 km/hr. and 80 km/hr. Predictors of posting above the speed limit were traveling on weekends, SUV/4WD vehicles and traveling on a road with a speed limit of 50 km/hr. Vehicles were less likely to post above the speed limit if there was the presence of law enforcement, a road with a posted limit of 80 km/hr., and large trucks vehicles.

Conclusion There is an urgent need for a comprehensive multi-sectoral intervention strategy to address speeding in Accra. Such interventions should focus on enforcement, road design, and social marketing campaigns.