THE Asante Mampong Divisional Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) has embarked on an exercise to arrest and prosecute motorists who flout vehicular traffic regulations.
The exercise is not only meant to enhance sanity on the Mampong-Ejura-Kofiase road network, but also meant to reduce the spate of accidents in the area.
About seven motorists were arrested and prosecuted during the first day of the exercise. According to the Divisional MTTU Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mr Benjamin Kwadwo Gyasi, the exercise would be sustained to make travelling more enjoyable and comfortable.
He mentioned expired insurance, overloading of vehicles which creates insecurity for passengers, driving without the requisite driving licence and roadworthy certificates, as well as riding motorbikes with no registration numbers, as some of the offences committed by some motorists.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on their operations, Mr Gyasi said even though the MTTU had organised a series of educational campaigns for motorists on road traffic regulations, most of them had failed to heed to advice.
He said offending drivers were fined between GH¢50 and GH¢100 when they appeared before courts.
DSP Gyasi, therefore, implored drivers to strictly adhere to road traffic regulations by not only renewing their licences and roadworthy certificates regularly, but should also avoid overloading their vehicles.
DSP Gyasi said it was important for drivers to renew their insurance as soon as it expired so that in case of accidents, the affected passengers and their dependants would be compensated.
He also urged the executives of the various drivers’ unions to support the MTTU in instilling discipline in motorists, since the enforcement of road traffic regulations was not the responsibility of the MTTU alone.
The MTTU Commander expressed concern about the interference of police operations by opinion leaders within the division, saying “they do not allow us to do our work”.
“Anytime we carry out operations to arrest and prosecute recalcitrant drivers, opinion leaders quickly rush to our office to plead on behalf of the offending drivers,” he stressed.
DSP Gyasi said such activities always pushed the police to the wall “and encouraged the drivers to misbehave on the roads thereby putting the lives of passengers at great risk”.
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