Correspondence from Eastern Region:
The Eastern Regional Manager for the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Sylvanus Markwei has expressed disillusionment about why some drivers and okada riders operate on public roads without a license.
Speaking to Ghanaweb in Koforidua, he said it still beats his imagination why some drivers and riders would comfortably drive or ride on Ghana’s roads knowing very well that it is a crime to drive or ride without holding a license, and explained that, “it is only God who knows why.”
“Looking at our statistics that we gather from our other agencies like the Road Safety Authority and the police MTTD, it is the majority of the okada riders that do not have a license or license permitting them to operate.
“But when you come to vehicles, it wasn’t like before. Now everybody comes in to acquire a driver's license before they use the public vehicles because the police are on the road. It is the majority of the people riding the okada or the pragya that we know. If you are talking about that aspect, fine.
“The reason why they don’t come in for permit or license to ride the motorbike, it is only God who knows it. Because it is clear out there that before you ride on a motorbike or tricycle you have to come in for a driver's license from DVLA,” Mr. Markwei said.
He said acquiring a driver or rider license in Ghana is the cheapest everywhere in Africa if not the world.
“I cannot be precise but it will not go beyond GHC400.00 (for riders license). Driver license will be around GHC700.00, I cannot be precise here also. You know what makes it expensive with regard to the drivers licence? You have to go to driving school and after the driving school training, then you come to DVLA.
“So, people combine the expenses they made at the driving school together with what they come to spend at DVLA and add it up and say drivers license cost so much but that is not the case,” he explained.
The Regional DVLA Manager indicated that it is the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service that is expected to enforce the law by ensuring that they arrest all drivers and riders who do not have licenses and make them go to acquire them before being on the road.
“We are not on the road. It is the police MTTD who are on the road. So, they are to check the people and force them to come for the drivers or motorbike licences,” he stressed.
According to Mr. Markwei, his outfit has been doing its bit in ensuring that drivers and riders are duly registered without stress.
He said on their part, the DVLA even makes processes easier for, especially, motor and tricycle riders to get licenses by organising short training for them “and then we issue the license for them which is not a big deal.”
On the issue of middlemen, also known as ‘goro boys’, who contribute to the high cost of drivers license, Mr. Markwei said, that issue had been dealt with and “we are using technology and that is helping us to keep them out of our way. So, for now, strictly adhering to the technological processes that we go through, you don’t need a middle man whatsoever, like a goro man, to come into our way.”
Information on road crashes in the country has suggested that many of the road crashes occurring on Ghana’s roads involved drivers who were driving without licenses.
About GhanaWeb Road Safety Campaign
The GhanaWeb Road Safety Campaign forms a part of the numerous projects GhanaWeb has rolled out as part of its 22nd-anniversary celebrations.
The year-long campaign dubbed #GhanaWebRoadSafety took off on Monday, March 1, 2021, and will focus on three key areas: indiscipline on roads; bad roads, and potholes that contribute to road accidents the and absence of streetlights.
The campaign is being executed in partnership with major stakeholders including the Ghana Road Safety Commission, the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate of the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Highway Authority, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, and the Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Authority.
The campaign is also spearheaded by musician and politician Bice Osei Kufour (Obour) as the Ambassador.
Meanwhile, GhanaWeb among other things will, throughout the year, embark on media tours, organise special awards and recognition, embark on
corporate social responsibility activities as part of its 22nd-anniversary celebration which was officially launched in Accra on February 15, 2021.
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