The Ghana Police Service's Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) and the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) have launched an operation to forcibly remove all breakdown cars from the nation's roadways.
According to David Osafo-Adonteng, the Director-General of the NRSA, who revealed this to the Daily Graphic yesterday, the exercise begins today and is intended to reduce traffic accidents, injuries, and deaths (CIDs), particularly during the Easter celebrations.
He emphasised that the authority would use its authority to move breakdown vehicles to safer locations by Regulations 102 (1) and (10) of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180) "and surcharge the owners or persons in charge of the vehicles or trailers with the cost of removal and storage for immediate use."
Hence, he urged car owners and operators to ensure that they pull their vehicles off the road right away in case of a breakdown or prepare to face penalties from the authorities, such as fees.
Mr Adonteng said in line with the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), the NRSA had the power to “compulsorily remove or cause the removal of any broken-down motor vehicle or trailer left on a roadway or in a circumstance that poses danger, or that is likely to cause an accident or injury to any other person using the road”.
According to Mr. Adonteng, the NRSA has the authority to "compulsorily remove or cause the removal of any broken-down motor vehicle or trailer left on a roadway or in a circumstance that poses danger, or that is likely to cause an accident or injury to any other person using the road," by the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683).
A motor vehicle or trailer owner or person in charge of a motor vehicle or trailer that has broken down is subject to fines under Section 21 of Act 683. A motor vehicle or caravan that is upside-down on a public road and who does not immediately remove it from the public road commits an offence and is subject to a fine of no more than 250 penalty units, a term of imprisonment of no less than 12 months, or both, upon summary conviction.
A punishment unit costs 12 Ghana cedis, or 3,000 Ghana cedis.
Travel will rise throughout Easter, especially on the routes connecting Accra with Kumasi, Kwahu, Aflao, Takoradi, and Hohoe.
According to statistics, a lot of traffic accidents happen around this time because of drunk driving, speeding, defective equipment, and human error.
Because of the rising need for transportation, drivers frequently drive too fast.
Road accidents are frequently the outcome of this careless driving.
Caution
Mr. Adonteng instructed owners and operators of cars and trailers to take prompt action to protect the vehicles when they become incapacitated until they are hauled in order to prevent breakdown vehicles from causing traffic accidents.
To avoid being struck by moving vehicles, he advised drivers to put authorised advance warning triangles on the front and rear sides of their cars or trailers, respectively.
Once more, he urged owners or drivers of broken-down vehicles to phone their towing service providers to have the cars and trailers removed promptly to safe areas or to personally go to the nearest NRSA office or police station to seek for help.
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