Vehicle owners will from July this year pay a mandatory towing fee during the registering of their vehicles or renewal of roadworthy certificates at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority.
The move is to ensure prompt removal of broken down vehicles from the roads, which officials say, contributes 25 per cent of total road accidents in the country.
Under the National Towing Project, owners of motorcylce will pay GHC10 per year, cars with engines capacity less than 2,000CC (less than 2.0) will pay GH¢40, buses and passenger commercial vehicles will pay GH¢80 while articulated trucks will pay between GH¢80 and GH¢100 yearly.
Motorists whose vehicle breaks down on a main road would be required to call 0800 772 772 or 18555 and within an hour, a towing vehicle will arrive to tow the vehicle while it will take within two hours after the call is placed for vehicles which breakdown on highways to be towed.
The project is being spearheaded by the National Road Safety Commission in collaboration with the DVLA, the Police and some private towing companies.
Vehicles owners will enjoy full-time safety of their vehicles and will have 72 hours (three days) after the towing to move or collect the vehicle from the safe point, plus additional two days grace period.
Good move by NRSC, but I think drivers should not be forced to pay such amount.
Drivers pay insurance be it 3rd party or comprehensive. Why can’t the insurance comapanies pay for the vehicles to be towed like they do in The USA here.
For several decades now insurance companies making so much money without honoring their policy requirements.
These are my reasons;
1. We have a lot of damages done to our roads and personal properties but because of corruption by police and DVLA Road Worthy Inspectors drivers haul their damaged cars away without reporting to law enforcement.
Example is New Achimota-Ofankor Highway most of the side rails are damaged. Mean while insurance companies are supposed to fix it.
2. Lives are lost and permanent disability to people without compensation from insurance companies. Obviously we understand 3rd party insurance should cover that and they deserve compensation.
In some countries Compensation are set by law for lives lost and insurance companies are mandated to pay.
The least the government should do is protect its citizens who are the consumers rather than using every opportunity to exploit them.
Come to think about your government forcing you to pay for something that we don’t get the services.
It’s a good move by NRSC.
This is a good initiative but the extra charges for vehicle owners to pay is out of order and I see this as another move by government to impose more financial burden on car owners….Car owners pay huge car insurance to insurance companies without any humanly benefits so to say.
If there should be charges for this initiative why not from insurance fund, if the government can not reduce this huge insurance that is paid by car owners why not this mandatory towing fee be deducted from insurance fees. Please we must consider this. Thank you. Blessed