By
Felix Engsalige Nyaaba
Accra,
Thursday April 11, 2013.
The Motor
Transport and Traffic Unit( NMTTU) of the Ghana police services will in May this year,
start the implementation of Section 157
of LI 2180 (2012) which mandated the police to issue Spot Fine Ticket(SFT) against
drivers who offend the road and traffic regulation laws.
The implementation process of the spot fine will
start on a pilot bases in Accra, Tema and Ashanti regions for a period before extending
to the rest of the regions of the country.
Under the spot fine law, the driver or offenders
will be issue with a spot fine ticket upon arrest and are required to make
payment of the full amount indicated to the nearest pay point within 24 hours
after being issued with spot fine ticket.
The law also states that motorist or drivers who are
been issued with SFT will have their licenses confiscated and released back to
them upon full payment of the fine with evidence.
Addressing stakeholders in the transport sector yesterday
in Accra, the National commanding
officer of MTTU, ACP Awugbutuge Awuni , said the implementation of Section 157 of L I 2180, was necessary and timely because there
have been rampant increasing records
of road and traffic offences in the country .
He stated that, per the number of road and traffic
offences recorded in a month, it was time for the law to work to ensure that sanity
is prevailing in the system.
Explaining further on the enforcement of the spot
fines, the MTTU boss said a person who is issued with a spot fine ticket shall
have his or her license retrieved and if payment is not within 24 hours, demand
notice will be sent to the person through a Fine Enforcement Registry office
within the Ghana police services with additional cost.
He said the MTTU will establish Spot Fine Offices
(SFO) and Special Traffic Enforcement Teams (TETs) across the country to
provide in the first hand the day-to-day administration of the regulation.
ACP Awuni noted that the Spot Fine Offices that will
be established will under take several functions, by maintaining database,
facilitating prosecution of spot fine offences cases, produce and disseminate
information, training and publicity as well as manage the spot fines revenue.
According to him, motorist issued with spot fine
tickets are required to make payment direct into the SFT accounts at Ghana
Commercial Bank (GCB), Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and the Bank of Africa
(BOA), within 24 hours after being issued with spot fine ticket.
He said pilot exercises will commence in Accra, Tema
and Kumasi from the month of May-to-July, 2013 on some selected major roads in
those regions, adding that officers will also be train on the spot fines laws
and its operations before the full implementation is roll out.
Mr Awuni said
the MTTU is convinced that the
implementation of the spot fine will not only improve the enforcement of the
law, shortened the process of prosecution and revenue for the government, but
also save many lives being loss on the roads though reckless and unprofessional
driving.
He therefore called on all stakeholders and the
general public, especially the transport unionist to educate their members to adhere to the spot fines laws, saying it does not meant to
punish but rather to reduce the burden
of court and other process.
The minister of transport, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, in a
speech read on her behalf lauded the MTTU for making effort to implement the
law and added that the enforcement of the law would by far help commercial
drivers to prove that they have all gone through a refresher course before the
renewal of their licenses.
She assured the police and the National Road Safety
Commission of the support to implement the law to maintain discipline on the
road.
The transport minister also urged the general
public, especially drivers to comply with the road and traffic laws to save
lives on the roads.
Alhaji Aliyu Baba, a member of the private transport
unionist committee lauded the MTTU for implementing the law to restrain drivers
from engaging in dangerous driving, but pleaded for time to educate their
members on the law.
He said most of the drivers are illiterate and that
there was the need for time to go round and educate them on the dos and the
don’ts on the law.
The law when full implemented, drivers who offend it
would attract a fine from 5-50 penalty units, and where the driver presumes to
be first time offender will only be caution bases on the degree of the offence.
Some of the offence that attract high penalty units
are; uses of unspecified tinted glass without lawful authority, failure to wear
reflective clothing and protective helmet and non-conformity to restrictions on
carriage of loads among others.
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