Road safety regulators crack down on non-prescribed vehicle fires

The use of non-prescribed lamps exposes other road users to the threat of accidents

Road safety regulators have joined forces to crack down on the use of non-prescribed lamps by a section of drivers contrary to rule 65 of the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (LI 2180).

The use of non-prescribed lamps exposes other road users to the threat of accidents, especially at night.

The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service have formed a working group to educate drivers about LI 2180.

Ms Catherine Hamilton, NRSA, Regional Director for Greater Accra, speaking in an interview with Ghana News Agency in Tema, said the NRSA had embarked on the awareness campaign to remove these illegal lamps and engage prosecution of offending drivers.

“Drivers and vehicle owners are encouraged to voluntarily comply with the law to avoid any inconvenience,” Ms. Hamilton noted.

The LOI requires the vehicle or trailers to be equipped with electrically lit lamps or other type approved by the licensing authority; a vehicle must have two lamps in the front with one on each side of the motor vehicle and placed so as to show a visible white or yellow light at a prescribed distance and to indicate the width of the vehicle.

The LI also makes it possible to equip vehicles with one or two auxiliary headlamps or additional headlamps; and that a main beam must not be positioned so that it protrudes from the bottom of the windscreen frame.

He recognizes that, although a maximum of four driving lamps and headlamps or searchlights is allowed, the electrical switching should be arranged to allow the use of only two of these lamps at a time.

With this in mind, road safety regulators have launched a coordinated action for the application of regulation 65 of LI 2180 on unregulated traffic lights.

The month-long public awareness program, initiated by the NRSA, also aimed to educate drivers about the regulations, which prohibit the use of non-prescribed lights on vehicles.

She said some drivers have even lodged several complaints about the dangers they face on the roads when vehicles equipped with such lights approach them at night.

Ms Hamilton explained that the act was on the rise, a situation that has contributed to some road accidents and fatalities in the country.

The NRSA regional director said the coordinated action has so far reached more than 2,000 vehicles, saying that after raising awareness, prosecutions would be the next line of action to restore sanity on the roads.

Sergeant Samuel Ebo Appiah, Tema Regional MTTD, told the GNA that it was a criminal offense to use more than four lights on a vehicle at the same time.

He noted that MTTD would continue to engage the various stakeholders to disseminate information to drivers and transport owners in order to comply with the guidelines.

Sgt Appiah revealed that MTTD had taken note of all vehicle owners, who had previously been notified, saying these drivers would not be spared when they broke the law.