The Ghana Police Service says it would soon introduce ‘Traffitech–Gh’, an automated spot fine system meant to enforce road traffic laws and regulations to improve road safety in the country.
The system would use cameras and sensors different from the already existing surveillance cameras to automatically take pictures and videos of vehicles that flout road traffic laws and regulations.
The project, which is currently at nationwide engagement level, seeks to increase compliance of road traffic laws and regulations to reduce road traffic crashes, deaths and injuries.
This was disclosed by the Director-General of Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD), Commission of Police (COP) Francis Ebenezer Doku during the police administration engagement with the leadership of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) in Accra recently.
According to him, the Traffictech-Gh will deploy fixed, mobile/in vehicle and radar gun devices to capture errand drivers speeding, jumping traffic lights and other traffic offences.
Pictures and/or videos recorded of the offence would be transmitted to the back office, a special office created to validate and issue notification of fine, via SMS, for the vehicle owner to pay.
The SMS notification would be accompanied by a link for the vehicle owner to watch where he or she committed the offence and this will include date, time and location.
Furthermore, the Trafftech-Gh notification would indicate the vehicle registration number, offence description, payment amount and deadline of 14 days, after which it will attract one percent (1%) penalty daily.
Unless the errand driver or vehicle owner challenges the ticket, payment of Traffitech-Gh fine could be made through mobile money or online, via www.Traffitech.gov.gh, or at any bank within the stipulated period.
Similarly, data of the offence can be found on – www.Traffitech.gov.gh – when the offence is keyed in and the prompt is followed to review the photo or video evidence of the offence.
COP Doku said if the data showed that a driver had been fined six times, that person would no more be fined again and that, the police would proceed to court.
He said the errand driver would be blacklisted or his or her driver’s license revoked for one year.
The only remedy available after serving the one year period for the repeated offender, would be reapplying for the license as a new driver.
COP Doku was responding to questions from the GBA leadership on indiscipline on the roads.
The GBA leadership also raised concerns over gaps in prosecution and investigations, human resource and logistics of the police.
The Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, on his part told the Association that they were engaging them as part of the police administration series of engagements with stakeholders to discuss security, Public Order Act and address some of their concerns.
He said the engagement was to seek their support in enhancing the security of the country and to put security in a proper context of socio-economic development of the nation.
Dr. Dampare was of the opinion that the public has a reactive posture towards security than being proactive and, therefore, called for a paradigm shift.
