The Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service has warned drivers who consistently flout road traffic regulations.
The MTTD cautioned that once the new road traffic legislative instrument becomes effective, drivers who violate traffic rules will be barred from accessing the services of the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and risk losing their licenses.
As part of the enforcement measures, the police said offenders will no longer be stopped on highways but will automatically receive notifications of their offenses via Short Message Service (SMS) on their mobile phones and will be required to pay a fine.
The Director of Research and Education at the MTTD, Chief Superintendent Alex Kwaku Obeng, revealed that a trial of the automated road traffic regulation system captured 1,800 drivers violating road regulations on the Accra-Cape Coast stretch.
Chief Superintendent Obeng made these remarks during the 7th Annual Conference of the Ghana National Association of Driving Schools in Koforidua, in the Eastern Region.
He highlighted the country’s road safety challenges and emphasised that stakeholder collaboration is essential to address these issues effectively.
“From January to April this year, we are counting 4,503 road crashes recorded on our roads. Vehicle owners in Ghana have had 7,641 of their vehicles crashed. In the process, 4,955 Ghanaians we wanted to protect because of our investment are facing various degrees of injuries,” he noted.
Chief Superintendent Obeng also cautioned motorists about the increasing risk of road crashes as the December general election approaches, pointing to a negative trend of fatalities associated with election periods.
“This conference is timely, knowing very well that we are entering an election season. We know that during such periods, unusual road users come on the road.
“Accidents are preventable. We have our strategy of stakeholder collaboration that delivers road safety management. We have the National Road Safety Authority and other stakeholders strategising together,” he said.
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