Over 90% of tricycles in Accra operate without side mirrors — DVLA

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has disclosed that more than 90 per cent of tricycles, popularly known as aboboyaa, operating in Accra do not have side mirrors, raising concerns about road safety and compliance with basic vehicle standards.

Stephen Attu, a representative of the DVLA, made the revelation during an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, July 22, 2026, while discussing the regulation of tricycles in the country.

“I can tell you based on observation that over 90% of them don't even have mirrors,” he said, adding, “I wouldn't dispute that.”

Despite the widespread absence of mirrors, Mr Attu stressed that tricycles are required to undergo the same roadworthiness inspections as other vehicles and must satisfy minimum safety requirements before they are allowed to operate on public roads.

According to him, DVLA technical officers inspect tricycles to ensure they are fitted with essential safety features, including functional headlamps and roadworthy tyres.

“They equally need to have headlamps; they equally need to have good tyres under them. They must be in pristine condition to be able to function on our roads,” he said.

Responding to questions about the Authority's power to remove unroadworthy tricycles from the roads, Mr Attu explained that while the DVLA undertakes compliance exercises, it collaborates with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service whenever arrests or enforcement actions are required.

“What we do is that in order to be able to cause an arrest, you have to do that in collaboration with the MTTD,” he said.

Mr Attu also acknowledged that monitoring compliance among motorcycles and tricycles remains a challenge, noting that many of the vehicles were registered manually under the previous registration system.

He said the DVLA is implementing reforms to strengthen monitoring and enforcement, including the introduction of a new vehicle registration system and smart number plates embedded with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

According to him, the new measures will enhance the Authority's ability to track vehicles more effectively and improve enforcement of road safety regulations.