The Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service will soon activate its automated traffic policing system designed to record violations on the roads and issue offending drivers with tickets.
This move is intended to enhance enforcement of traffic regulations and help reduce accidents on the roads.
Speaking on Newsfile Saturday, the Head of Education, Research and Training at the MTTD, Superintendent Alexander Obeng said the initiative will be rolled out in about three months. He is optimistic the system will help track down offending motorists and get them to face the law.
“Very soon, the traffic police are coming with an automated system that will deploy cameras. These are traffic cameras that will detect in-traffic violations that lead to crashes because it is not only going to deploy unattended cameras but some will be in vehicles,” he revealed.
He said the traffic police department is determined to have an automated traffic police system.
According to him, plans are far advanced and in a matter of months the system will be fixed in 2021.
Supt. Obeng’s comment comes on the back of JoyNews’ hotline documentary produced by Seth Kwame Boateng dubbed “CRUSHED” highlighting the worrying statistics of carnage on Ghana’s roads.
Between January and March, 2021, 771 people have been killed in road accidents with some describing it as a national emergency that requires a new approach to deal with the canker if results are to be achieved.
Within the same period, 4,700 others suffered varied degrees of injuries after their involvement in motor accidents.
In view of this, Supt. Obeng is calling for a national action to revert the trend by adopting the use of sophisticated technology to address the fatalities recorded on the roads.
He, however, bemoaned the lack of progress in traffic management despite huge advancement in technology.
“If you look at traffic policing in Ghana, the way we started in 1952; that is how we have been till now. I think it is not working because there has been advancement. First, road designs and economic development have resulted in individual citizens buying more vehicles than we used to have. The nature of vehicle design, speed, and other features that come with it will speak to you clearly that the traffic police officer that was envisaged in 1952 should not be left with the same methods,” the MTTD officer said.
He further urged the government to invest in equipping the MTTD officers with requisite tools and training to be able to deal with the canker on the roads.