The Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority (DVLA), in collaboration with the Motor, Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, has embarked on a special operation to clamp down on vehicles with fake or embellished number-plates, vehicles with tinted glasses among others, in Accra.
The operation is part of efforts by the two institutions to rid the roads of fake and embellished numberplates, as well as ensure adherence to road traffic regulations.
Speaking on the operation, Deputy Director of Driver Training, Testing and Licencing at the DVLA, Joseph Clifford Obosu, stated that the exercise is crucial in ensuring standardisation, conformity and uniformity on the roads because a good number of drivers flout the road traffic regulations.
“We have noticed that a number of vehicle owners embellish their number-plates; they add different colours to the original number-plates given to them. Some vehicle owners add red, blue, green and a host of colours. This poses a security threat to the system, as it not only obscures the security features the number-plate come with for easy identification, but also poses a security threat to the vehicle owner. So, this exercise is to ensure standardisation, conformity and uniformity on our roads,” he said.
Mr. Obosu further explained that aside from the embellishment of number-plates, a number of vehicle owners also tint the windscreens of their vehicles – which is against the law and obscures the vision of the vehicle driver.
“When you tint your windscreen and you are driving in adverse weather conditions, it makes visibility difficult for the driver. The law allows for a certain amount of tint, but many do not comply so we are encouraging the general public to adhere to the laws because when we catch anyone flouting the law, we will not spare them,” he said.
He further added that the operation has yielded good results within a short period of time, with a total apprehension of 22 vehicles – six embellished number-plates, three tinted windscreens, two fake DV number-plates, and three expired DP number-plates. “This is not to instil fear but rather encourage the general public to adhere to all road traffic regulations,” he said.
A motorist apprehended in the course of the operation, for not placing his vehicle insurance and roadworthy stickers on the windscreen of the vehicle, said the operation has drawn his attention to a number of things he initially took for granted.
“I was not aware of the fact that the law says the insurance and roadworthy stickers need to be placed at the right-hand side of the vehicle windscreen. If I had not been stopped I would not have known this, as I often just place them in the glove compartment of my car,” he said.
