The use of Toyota Voxy vehicles for commercial transportation has been outlawed by the National Road Safety Authority’s (NRSA) Technical Working Committee, which warned that their widespread usage poses a major risk to human life and road safety.
The committee states that in addition to being illegal, the importation and subsequent alteration of the cars are frequently done by unlicensed practitioners, posing serious dangers to passenger and other road user safety.
The committee’s chairman, Dr. Godwin Kafui Ayetor, asked for immediate regulatory action when delivering the committee’s final investigative report to the Director-General of the Authority on Wednesday, April 8. He described the situation as extremely concerning.
The Toyota Voxy is essentially inappropriate for commercial passenger transportation, he emphasised.
“The manufacturer informed us that the Toyota Voxy is a minivan designed for young middle-class families, not for commercial passenger use. In other words, it is not designed for high mileage and is intended for use on paved roads,” he stated.
According to Dr. Ayetor, the vehicle’s architecture makes it exceptionally risky for commercial operations, especially on difficult roads.
“Once off-road conditions come into play, the recommendation is to use vehicles such as the Toyota Hiace, which are specifically built for commercial applications,” he said.
The committee also noted that significant structural changes, such as suspension adjustments and tyre replacements, are frequently part of the conversion process.
He clarified, “As part of the conversion, the suspension is altered and the vehicle is raised. The tyres are also changed. However, the tyres that come with the Toyota Voxy are passenger tyres, not designed for high payload or high mileage.”
He claims that these changes put undue stress on the car, jeopardising its general safety and structural integrity, especially when travelling long distances.
Additionally, Dr. Ayetor cited what he called a more widespread regulatory failure as a factor in the nation’s growth of these cars.
“We observed a systemic regulatory breakdown, which has led to the proliferation of these conversions. These vehicles are often unlawfully imported, improperly converted, and operated as commercial transport, posing serious safety risks,” he stated.
He also disclosed that, in an attempt to lower traffic accidents, the committee is advocating for the stringent enforcement of current regulations prohibiting the importation of automobiles with right-hand drives.
The Committee came to the conclusion in its final evaluation that there is an unacceptable safety risk associated with the Toyota Voxy as it is currently configured and utilised for commercial transportation.
“In our final determination, the Technical Working Group concludes that the Toyota Voxy vehicle, as currently configured through unregulated right-hand drive to left-hand drive conversion and deployed for commercial passenger transport beyond its design specifications, presents an unacceptable risk to road safety in Ghana.”
According to Dr. Ayetor, systemic flaws that have permitted the unrestricted entry and usage of such vehicles exacerbate the risk.
“We have allowed thousands of unlawfully imported vehicles to enter the country, be modified without standards by uncertified practitioners, registered without proper testing and inspection, and operated commercially despite private registration in some cases.”
According to Dr. Ayetor, the committee recommended that laws that forbid the importation of right-hand drive vehicles be strictly enforced, that steps be taken to prevent private vehicles from being misused for commercial purposes, that commercial Toyota Voxy vehicles only be used for intra-city operations, that an immediate public advisory be issued regarding the status of these vehicles and right-hand drive conversions, and that the registration of converted vehicles for commercial use be stopped.
Source: newsthemegh.com