Recalcitrant drivers to lose license under soon-to-be-introduced spot fine system (Spread)

Under the new spot fine system to be introduced in November, drivers who go against road regulations more than four times will have their licences revoked.

"When you commit the offence, our electronic system will generate your profile as a driver, so that we can track your performance to advise us on where to place you in the risk factor as a driver,” the Director of Planning at the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), Mr David Adonteng, explained.

Mr Adonteng made this known when officials of the NRSC paid a courtesy call on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Alhassan, in Accra on Wednesday September 19.

The visit served as a platform for the two institutions to discuss possible areas of co-operation.

Mr Adonteng said a driver whose licence was revoked would have to go through the process of applying for a new licence after a specified period.

Among the 38 offences that will attract spot fines are jumping the red light, driving without a seat belt, driving without a licence, refusal to renew road-worthy certificate, use of unspecified tinted glass, driving a vehicle without reflectors at the back, failure to wear protective clothing while on a motorbike, driving on the shoulders of the road, talking on phone while driving and the use of a foreign driving licence.

The system was scheduled to be introduced in May this year but was suspended after public outcry over the possibility of its abuse by the police.
But Mr Adonteng stated that that would not be the case this time.

"This time round, money will not change hands. The police will not be required to receive any money anywhere. Payment will be done electronically or directly to the pay point," he said.

He said the NRSC would be working with the police and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to roll out the system in such a manner that when an offence was committed, there would be several payment options, including online payment, the use of a scratch card, visa card or at selected banks.

In his response, the IGP stressed the need for the stakeholders to interact more, in view of their responsibilities to make the roads safe.

He expressed strong reservations over what he called the recklessness and indiscipline on the roads, which he said were affecting the image of the country.

Alhassan said the Police Service had begun reforms that would enhance performance, especially the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD). He said while the service would work with the other institutions to bring sanity on the roads, the paradigm shift for the police now was preventive policing.

The Executive Director of the NRSC, Mrs May Obiri Yeboah, also expressed concern over the rate of road accidents in the country and said the NRSC was renewing its strategies to meet the goals of the UN decade of action programme on road safety which spans 2011-2020.

The goal of the decade of action is to reduce the forecast level of road traffic deaths around the world. It is estimated that five million lives could be saved on roads globally during the decade.

Ghana recorded 2,249 deaths through road accidents last year. Ms Obiri-Yeboah commended the IGP, who took office last year, for introducing visibility policing which she said served as a deterrent to road offenders.

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