Measures Mahama put in place to enhance road safety

Many people receive serious injuries or even die everyday as a result of road accidents. And there has always been the need to take road safety measures seriously.

In March 2015, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) in line with the aforementioned problem, successfully automated its services to the public. The objective was to significantly reduce the menace of illegal operations to promote safety and enhance revenue. By the end of September 2014, DVLA had established 6 districts offices in collaboration with some district assemblies. This was aimed at extending their services closer to the people.

On December 1, 2014, DVLA implemented an electronic road worthy certification of vehicles to replace the manual system. This resulted in a 35% increase in revenue compared to the same period in 2014. This also significantly reduced the incidence of accidents and fraud suffered by drivers.

From January 6, 2014, to March 31, 2015, the DVLA re-registered and issued the "green number plates" for 22,554 vehicles belonging to the Ministries, Government Departments and Agencies. This formed part of efforts to clearly identify these vehicles to prevent their abuse.

Since 2012, the DVLA has engaged the private sector in the establishment of equipment and IT - based vehicle inspection centres in the country. Six were fully operational in and around Accra and eleven more in other regions were at various stages of completion. These facilities effectively assess the condition of vehicles in terms of their roadworthy status with minimal human intervention.

Anthony Obeng Afrane