Understanding the Effect of Climate Change on Road Safety in Ghana

在对NOT-TW-22-003的回复中，我们建议对D43 TW 007267进行管理补充 （加强加纳和西非的伤害控制研究）。这份补充文件题为 “了解气候变化对加纳南部道路安全的影响”。这一补充， 气候变化和健康（CCH）是在我们的伤害研究D43培训补助金的范围内：（1） 我们的导师和学者对加纳的道路安全进行了广泛的研究，因此我们的计划是 做好准备就气候变化对道路安全的影响开展类似的研究;（2）伤害控制 解决了广泛的生物医学研究问题，包括识别和量化风险因素， 因此，应对气候变化是这些工作的自然延伸;（3）我们在以下方面的17年经验： 培训和指导研究是灵活的、多方面的，非常适用于卫生协调委员会。 广泛目标：加强Kwame Nkrumah研究所的气候变化和健康研究能力 科技大学（KNUST），通过让初级研究人员参与创新，指导 研究，以更好地了解气候变化对加纳道路安全的影响。 具体目标1：利用关于警方报告的撞车事故的现有数据， 在一年中发生的崩溃，在这些月最与极端天气（多雨 在过去的30年里，每年的雨季（6月至7月和旱季（1月至2月））都在增加。 具体目标2：通过与400名商业司机的访谈，评估商业气候危害 司机们已经注意到，特别是在雨季和旱季，这些危险可能已经发生了变化， 在过去的10年里。 具体目标3：每周两次获得重要气象参数的基线测量数据 （降雨量、湿度、温度、粉尘浓度和气溶胶光学厚度--一种能见度的测量方法）， 在加纳南部的5个交通事故热点地区，在6个月的时间里，具体月份将为：干 季节（1月至2月），雨季（6月至7月）和两个中间月（4月，11月）。这些将 为今后的监测和研究建立基线测量。

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.