From 2026 you will have one hour to tow your breakdown vehicle — NRSA to motorists

The National Road Safety Authority has announced tougher measures to deal with stationary and broken down vehicles on major roads, stating that from 2026 vehicle owners will be required to clear such vehicles within 30 minutes in city centres and one hour on highways.

The move follows persistent complaints from road users and safety agencies over the growing danger posed by abandoned vehicles and heavy trucks on intercity roads, which the Authority says have become a major contributor to road crashes.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday December 30, the Executive Director of the Authority, Abraham Amaliba, said the new requirement is captured in the recently passed Road Traffic Amendment Bill and will be enforced with legal backing.

“The stationary vehicles are also a cause of accidents, and the new law has also provided that coming next year, every vehicle owner must subscribe to a towing company, which means that once your car breaks down, you have 30 minutes, if it is in the city centre, to call a towing company. You are not bound to subscribe to one particular towing company,” he said.

He explained that vehicle owners are free to choose any towing service, including those provided by insurance companies, as long as the response time requirement is met.

“Insurance companies can also provide that same service. It’s allowed. If it’s on the highways you have one hour, within which to call your towing company. Failure to do this, then the National Road Safety Authority will come and remove the stationary vehicle and then surcharge you for the removal of the vehicle,” Mr Amaliba stated.

He stressed that the new regulation is aimed at improving road safety and reducing avoidable crashes caused by vehicles left unattended on busy roads, adding that once a breakdown occurs, the subscribed towing service must be contacted immediately and must respond within the stipulated time.

“These are the exciting things that are going to be in the L.I. So, within 30 minutes, you must call the subscriber and they must respond,” he added.