GNA | Edited by Agnes Agnes Boye-Doe
Mr Joseph Bukari Nikpe, the Minister of Transport, says Parliament is expected to pass the Legislative Instrument (LI) to operationalise the automated traffic law enforcement by the end of March 2026.
He said the LI, which sought to strengthen road traffic regulations through technology-driven enforcement, had completed nine of the mandatory 21 sitting days in Parliament and was expected to mature within the next two weeks.
Mr Nikpe disclosed this on Thursday during a working visit to Traffitech-GH in Accra by officials of the Ministry to assess the readiness of the Ghana Police Service and allied agencies to deploy automated systems to enforce road traffic laws.
The meeting was attended by officials of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), and the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service.
The Minister said the government was working to establish a robust legal framework to address road indiscipline, including drunk driving, speeding, careless driving and other offences that continued to contribute to road crashes in the country.
The introduction of automated enforcement systems would complement the work of traffic police officers by deploying cameras and other digital devices to detect offences and gather credible evidence.
Mr Nikpe said government remained committed to ensuring safer roads for all users, noting that the country continued to record high numbers of road crashes, deaths and damage to property, adding that technology would play a key role in supporting law enforcement to tackle traffic violations.
“If the human side is not able to capture you, the technology will get you for us, and the penalties will be there for you to go through,” he said.
Agencies such as the NRSA and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) would intensify public education and training once the law was passed to ensure smooth implementation of the system.
He expressed optimism that the use of technology in traffic enforcement would help reduce road crashes and fatalities while improving discipline among drivers and other road users.
Chief Superintendent Alexander Obeng, Project Coordinator of Traffitech-GH, said the project was designed to support law enforcement through modern information and communication technology to gather credible evidence of traffic offences.
Data gathered over the years indicated that most road crashes in the country were linked to human behaviour, including speeding, reckless driving and disregard for traffic signals.
“Therefore, it is important that evidence of such behaviour is captured and presented to offenders to help change attitudes on our roads,” he added.
Chief Supt. Obeng said the system would deploy a combination of fixed and mobile speed cameras, as well as portable devices, to monitor traffic violations across highways and urban roads.
He said about 34 speed and red-light cameras had already been installed at hazardous junctions across Ghana based on accident data and risk assessments.
Some of the cameras, he said, would be permanently mounted at critical intersections to detect offences such as speeding and motorists running red lights, while others would be mounted on patrol vehicles to monitor violations along major highways.
The police would also deploy tripod-mounted speed cameras that could be moved to areas where speeding was prevalent to automatically capture vehicle registration numbers, the speed recorded, and the exact location, date and time of the offence.
Chief Superintendent Obeng said the information would be transmitted to a central back-office system where officers would process the evidence and generate digital traffic tickets.
The system, he said, would integrate with national databases, including those of the DVLA and motor insurance providers, to identify vehicle owners and obtain contact details.
Chief Supt Obeng noted that offenders would receive notifications through text messages containing details of the violation, the amount of the fine and a link that would allow them to view video evidence of the offence.
He said motorists had the option of challenging traffic tickets through an online contestation system, after which they would be directed to the nearest police station to present their case.
Motorists who failed to settle the penalty within 14 days would receive a reminder notice on the seventh day, after which a one per cent surcharge would be applied from the 15th day, Chief Supt Obeng said.
Beyond that period, defaulters would not be able to access services from the DVLA.
He added that authorities were also exploring collaboration with the National Identification Authority to ensure that persistent defaulters could be restricted from using their Ghana Card to access certain public services until their penalties were settled.
Chief Supt Obeng said a call centre was also being established to support the system, allowing members of the public to verify the authenticity of traffic violation notices.
Source: gna.org.gh