THE MOTOR Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service has impounded 40 vehicles and remanded their drivers in connection with various road traffic offences.
The operation took place around Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Makola, Okaishie and Agbogbloshie, among other areas in the Accra metropolis.
ASP Alexander Kwaku Obeng, officer in charge of Education and Research at the MTTU, briefing DAILY GUIDE, explained that almost all the offenders had been arraigned before a Motor Court.
The offences include unauthorized parking and stopping, non-use of seat belts, use of rickety vehicles and worn-out tyres.
The rest are damaged vehicle screens, unlicensed drivers, abuse of road markings, driving on the wrong side of the road, among other offences.
He noted that the police would undergo thorough investigations so that the suspects could be appropriately charged before being sent to a motor court.
�This process by the MTTU is in line with our on-going end-of-year structure to be visible in all police jurisdiction, either physically or mentally.
�We are assuring all road users that the police service would do what it has promised under its mandate,� he stated.
According to him, the police service would sustain its education and other preventive strategies to minimize various threats that are posed to road users.
He said reckless driving, unlawful over-taking, drunk driving, abuse of road markings and signs, jumping red lights and excessive speeding in police urban jurisdictions, were some the road offences perpetrated by road users.
�Irresponsible vehicle owners who permit drivers without licence to use their vehicles and commit various road traffic offences should be on alert because we are coming after them.
�While we make efforts to eliminate these threats, we would also not hesitate to detect and arrest suspected road criminals and process them in a motor court,� he cautioned.
ASP Obeng said for the first time in the history of perpetration of road offences in 11 months, the MTTU (nation-wide) had successfully persecuted over 6,000 road criminals in its Motor Court.
He disclosed that penalties paid to the state by offending drivers, spanning the 11-month period, amounted to GH�942, 000, noting that this year�s figure was more than that of last year�s.
He said offenders caught for criminal use of motor cycles, including its commercialization (Okada), non-use of helmets and using any category of licence (BCDF) other than category A licence, would be penalized.
He further explained that the MTTU would soon check the ages of commercial (trotro) drivers since most of them did not have the legal requirements to drive such vehicles.
He said the appropriate age for driving commercial vehicles was 25, and that the driver must have two years experience with licence category C.
�25 years below can apply for driving licence category A and are only allowed to drive small vans and not big ones. There is the need to renew their licence every two years until they attain licence category C,� he noted.
He therefore urged transport operators to check their vehicles before they set off for their daily work schedules. He added that drivers who were tired ought to rest within every two to three hours to avoid road accidents.
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