An effort has been made by the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) to implement a new procedure for the removal of disabled cars off the road.
The programme offers three alternatives for financing the transportation of broken-down automobiles to a safe location.
According to the regulation, the Ghana Police Service is authorised to tow vehicles that have broken down or are parked illegally on the road to designated holding centres and charge the owners a fee.
The new system also gives private companies legal support to set up towing services that car owners may willingly use to have their cars removed off the road. Then, car owners will have the choice of purchasing insurance plans so that businesses will assume responsibility for removing their vehicles from the road. David Osafo Adonteng, the NRSA's interim director-general, told the Daily Graphic that the organisation had given the policy proposal to the Ministry of Transport for review before submitting it to Parliament.
It was implemented more than five years after an effort to enact a car towing charge was unsuccessful.
The policy idea is included in several of the 2012 Road Traffic Regulation's evaluations (L.I 2180).
Details
Speaking specifically on the new towing policy, Mr. Adonteng stated the Ghana Police Service's Motor Traffic and Transport Division (MTTD) will have the authority to forcibly remove any vehicle parked in an area deemed hazardous to life and property.
"The cost of the towing and storage at a depot will be computed and added to the owner," he said. "It will be transferred from the unsafe position to a safer place.
A second choice, he continued, was to engage private sector players and give them the legal authority to set up shop in key locations around the nation and collect yearly fees from car owners who wanted to use their services.
Mr. Adonteng continued by saying that many insurance providers had accepted the concept of charging car owners a charge for the privilege of hauling broken-down automobiles.
"When we are ready to launch, we will publish a list of all service providers, together with information on where they are situated and how to reach them.
Regulation
The Road Traffic Regulations include precise directions on how to get broken-down cars off the road.
"An owner of a vehicle or person in charge of a motorcycle or trailer who causes or permits the motorcycle or trailer that breaks down on the road to be left on the road shall give notice to the nearest police station or authorise a towing service provider within an hour if the broken down vehicle or trailer is located within a built-up area; and within two hours if the broken down vehicle or trailer is within a place other than a built-up area," according to Regulation 102 (1) of L.I
Despite this regulation, some broken-down cars are occasionally kept on the road for weeks or even months.
To remedy the issue, the NRSA declared that as of July 1, 2017, vehicle owners would have to pay an obligatory road safety fee when the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority processed their roadworthy certifications (DVLA).
According to the specifics, owners of motorcycles were required to pay GH 10 per year, while owners of non-commercial cars were had to pay GH 20 per year.
Taxis would be subject to a GH40 fee, minibuses to a GH80 fee, and heavy-duty trucks to a GH80 to GH200 fee yearly, depending on their tonnage.
Additionally, foreign cars that did not need to visit the DVLA for roadworthy certification had to pay the necessary costs at the points of entry.
Intervention
Mr. Adonteng noted that in order to stop the recent uptick in traffic accidents, it was now important to reconsider the notion of developing a reliable system for removing broken-down automobiles.
The NRSA stated that the decision was made to increase road safety by offering dependable towing services so that when cars broke down, the authority could make sure they were "swiftly removed" to avoid collisions with stopped cars and to stop oil from pouring onto the roadways and damaging them.
Mr. Adonteng expressed confidence that the public would embrace the new policy due to the extensive consultation that had taken place with important stakeholders.
While attempts were being made to implement the updated towing system, he stressed that it was crucial for car owners to be accountable for clearing the road of broken-down cars.
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