The era in Ghana where police personnel from the Motor Traffic Transport Department (MTTD) stop drivers on the road and enquire about the validity of their driving licence and apprehend recalcitrant drivers and road traffic lawbreakers will soon be a thing of the past in Ghana.
This is because the government, through the Ghana Police Service, in collaboration with the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) and the Ministry of Transport, has developed a digital traffic system to check the efficiency in the enforcement of road traffic laws.
Dubbed “TraffiTech-GH”, it is also to improve road safety in Ghana. The system uses cameras and sensors to automatically take audiovisual evidence for vehicles that flout road traffic laws.
This came to light when the Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, visited the NRSA and the TraffiTech-GH to assess the automated traffic enforcement systems and explore how they can support the government’s vision of reducing road crashes.
The visit forms part of the government’s effort to leverage technology to strengthen road traffic law enforcement and improve road safety across the country.
It also provided first-hand experience of how the system works, and more preparations are underway to roll it out nationwide.
The Minister was accompanied by his Deputy, Dorcas Affo-Toffey; the Chief Director, William Kartey; the Director-General of NRSA, Abraham Amaliba Esq.; and other Directors from the ministry and the NRSA.
Officials of TraffiTech-GH, led by the Director of Education, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Chief Supt. Alexander Kwaku Obeng, demonstrated how the system uses advanced cameras and digital tools to detect traffic violations such as speeding and red-light offences.
Mr Nikpe underscored the importance of innovation and technology adoption in addressing road safety challenges.
He stated that the government is ready to collaborate with the police and other ministries to achieve its vision of bringing sanity onto the road.
“The Ministry of Transport is committed to engaging stakeholders in working towards ensuring safety on our roads for everyone,” Mr Nikpe added.
The Deputy Transport Minister, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, in an interview with the media, said they were impressed with the work of the police and the NRSA.
She said, “What we are seeking to do is to digitalise our road traffic regulation, and so currently, the new act is in Parliament. It’s been laid, and we have eleven sitting days for it to mature, so in just a few more days, it will be mature, and it will be passed. We are looking at the end of the month [March]; it will be passed”.
“What we want to do is to bring some sanity to our roads. Right now, the accident rates on our roads are very high. Lives are being taken and all that, so with these new regulations, it will help to curb that menace on our roads”.
Madam Affo-Toffey, who is also the Member of Parliament for Jomoro, said, “There is going to be a spot fine. The interface between the general public and the police is going to be minimised where it is the decision of the police to tell you the limit you were going; this will take that away”.
“Immediately that police stop you, they will capture the number plate, and everything will show in real time at the back office with the MTTD, and then a fine will be sent to you with all your information so that the interface between the police and the public will be no more,” she explained.
The Deputy Minister said this information is going to be in Short Message Service (SMS) form from the police MTTD to the offending driver in real time.
“But for me, the most important thing is that it is going to reduce accidents because we are also joining the world who are doing best practices as far as road safety is concerned, and now TrafficTech is ready,” the MP explained.