The compulsory towing of broken-down vehicles will help reduce road crashes and improve safety on Ghana’s roads, West Africa Director of CUTS International, Appiah Kusi Adomako, has said.
He said requiring vehicle owners to subscribe to towing services or obtain insurance packages that include towing cover would help prevent motorists from leaving broken-down vehicles on roads and attempting to repair them in traffic.
His comments follow the government’s decision to introduce a mandatory towing regime under the new Road Traffic Regulations, with vehicle owners expected to make arrangements for the prompt removal of vehicles that break down or are involved in crashes.
The Director of Registration, Inspection, and Compliance at the NRSA, Kwame Koduah Attuahene, said owners who fail to comply could have their vehicles compulsorily towed, with the cost charged to them.
“The law is that every vehicle owner will be required to subscribe to a towing service company or buy an insurance policy that has a towing service tied to it,” Mr Attuahene said.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, September 10, Mr Adomako said the policy was necessary because broken-down vehicles had become a significant hazard on Ghana’s roads.
“Yes, I agree with it because the practicalities involved are quite tedious,” he said in response to the compulsory towing requirement.
“Most drivers, when their car breaks down on the road, they stop on the road, and they have turned the road into a mechanic shop trying to fix the car. Because there’s no regulation on that, people have turned the highway into garages.”
He said the continued presence of broken-down vehicles on major roads created additional risks for motorists and could contribute to crashes.
“Most accidents that are happening on the road are as a result of broken-down cars on the road,” Mr Adomako said.
Under the emerging system, he said, motorists would be able to call their towing providers when their vehicles break down, allowing the vehicles to be removed from the road rather than repaired at the roadside.
“So now, by compelling car owners to buy insurance, whenever your car breaks down, you call your insurance company, and they have to respond within a certain time frame,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the National Road Safety Authority would be able to ensure that insurance companies and towing operators responded promptly when motorists required assistance.
