Between January and November of this year, over 3,380 errant motorcycle riders were fined a total of GH3 million for various road traffic violations.
While 18 others were sentenced to prison, 118 of the suspects were acquitted and discharged due to a lack of evidence to prosecute them. 81 other offenders are also being pursued by police.
Chief Supt Alexander Obeng, Director of Education, Research, and Training at the Ghana Police Service’s Motor Traffic and Transport Division (MTTD), announced this yesterday at a town hall meeting in Accra to sensitize motorcycle riders.
The meeting was organized by the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) in collaboration with CUTS International and other stakeholders.
The meeting brought together stakeholders in the road transport sector, including the MTTD, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), the Motor Riders Association, and civil society organizations involved in road safety.
The participants discussed issues ranging from road safety through adherence to road traffic regulations, enforcement of road traffic regulations, legalization of commercial motor riding, and the development of a robust public transportation system.
Chief Supt Alexander Obeng, Director of Education, Research, and Training at the Police MTTD, addresses participants in a town hall meeting for motorcycle riders organized by NRSA.
The interaction with the motor riders occurred in the context of the fact that users of two-wheeled vehicles had a 98% chance of being injured in an accident.
For instance, statistics from the Ghana Police Service’s MTTD show that road crash fatalities involving motorcycles increased from 4% in 2011 to 25% in 2021.
Motorcycle registration increased from 15,136 in 2005 to 73,515 in 2020, while tricycle registration increased from 8,174 in 2017 to 31,544 in 2020.
Chief Supt Obeng stated that the police’s implementation of the Police Action Against Rider Indiscipline (PAARI) program was bearing fruit, as indiscipline among motorcycle riders had begun to decrease.
He stated that the police administration had deployed designated officers under the PAARI initiative to enforce discipline among motorcycle riders in Accra and other parts of the country.
“They work with digital cameras and scanners to gather evidence on the activities of motorcycle users,” he said.
He urged motorcycle riders to obey traffic laws, especially as the holiday season approached.
In a presentation, the NRSA’s Director of Planning and Programs, Daniel H. Wuaku, stated that increasing education for motorcycle riders was critical because records at the authority showed that 98% of motorbike users were injured in accidents.
Mr. Wuaku said the increasing use of motorcycles in the country had been motivated by rising urbanisation, unregulated motorcycles usage, relatively cheaper cost of motorcycles, and reduced mobility because of traffic congestion.
Although motorcycles had helped to fill a gap in the transportation space, he expressed grave concern about the increasing number of motorcycle crashes and fatalities, as well as environmental pollution and traffic management issues.
Appiah Adomako, West African Regional Director of CUTS International, emphasized the importance of effective collaboration among stakeholders in addressing the causes of motorcycle accidents.
“The CUTS International is a research policy think tank, and we have realised that over the last 10 years, there has been an increase in the use of motorcycles in the city of Accra, and this has also resulted in a lot of casualties on the road. “We need to address this effectively in order to save lives,” he said.
Mr. Adomako added that, while it was difficult to eliminate the use of motorcycles due to the way the city was designed, it was critical to creating a safer environment for them to operate in.
