NINETY-NINE commercial and private vehicles operating within the Kumasi metropolis have been prohibited from using any road in the country due to the danger they pose to other road users.
A total of 125 commercial and private transport operators in the metropolis and its environs have also been convicted to pay various fines for flouting road traffic regulations.
This was after they had been arrested between November 5 and December 10, 2010 and successfully prosecuted.
The convicts, who pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them, were made to pay GH¢16,640 as fines after they had been found guilty of road traffic offences.
Seventy-six others whose vehicles were prohibited from using the roads have, however, repaired all the defects on their vehicles and been issued with roadworthy certificates.
The arrest and conviction of the drivers followed the operations of a joint task force comprising the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service mandated to enforce road traffic regulations.
The Ashanti Regional Licencing Officer, Mr Noah Tettey Matey, who briefed the Daily Graphic on the operations, said the offences of the convicted drivers ranged from the use of defective brakes, rickety vehicles and underweight licences to expired roadworthy stickers and broken windscreens.
He said the use of worn-out tyres and disconnected rear brakes also came under scrutiny during the operations, causing the task force to arrest and prosecute many offenders.
Mr Matey said the task force scrutinised 1,010 vehicles, including 225 taxis, 117 private cars, 224 mini-buses and 47 motorcycles.
He said they also scrutinised 151 Mercedes Benz 207 buses, 100 light trucks, 73 cargo trucks, 24 tractors and 19 articulated trucks, assuring the public that the exercise would be sustained to bring sanity on the roads.
Mr Matey said at the moment five of the cases were still pending before the court, while two drivers had been cautioned and discharged.
He said the court also issued a bench warrant for the arrest of three drivers who failed to appear before it.
He pointed out that the spate of accidents on the roads could partly be blamed on the rampant break-down of vehicles on major trunk roads, saying the situation could be greatly reduced if drivers regularly maintained their vehicles.
He said the task force would continue to be in operation, even after Christmas, to ensure that drivers complied with road traffic regulations.
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