MTTU to start imposing spot fines soon

An official of the Motor, Traffic, and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police has said the imposition of spot fines on drivers will to some extent compel them to respect traffic regulations, to reduce road accidents in the country.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Owoahene Kaakyire Asiedu Akyeampong, Commander of Adenta branch of the MTTU, said the fine ranges between five penalty units and 50 penalty units, according to the road traffic regulations of the country.

The Adenta MTTU Commander was speaking at a day’s seminar to educate drivers on spot fines, at Adenta Lorry Station, in Accra, on Wednesday.

ASP Akyeampong said the imposition of the fines would start after members of transports unions including the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and Co-operative Drivers Unions in the country have been educated on the issue.

He said drivers would be issued with cards or small note books in which payment of spots fines would be recorded, and said MTTU officials would affix bills on the windscreen of wrongly parked vehicles.

ASP Akyeampong cautioned that any driver who would claim ignorance of the law, would not be a defence, and those who would resist payment of the spot fine would not be spared.

He lamented in that, in the first quarter of 2013, Adenta MTTU recorded four deaths, 32 serious injuries, 39 minor injuries that occurred through motor accidents, involving 45 commercial vehicles, 58 private cars and eight motorbikes.

Mr. John Dovoh, Fire Officer at Madina, asked drivers to keep fire extinguishers in their vehicles.

The transport officer of Adenta Municipal Assembly, Mr. Vandymil Nortey, appealed to drivers to obtain copies of the new traffic regulations at the assembly.