Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey, has stated that fees charged for road traffic infractions and delinquency is an implementation of an existing law, not a new initiative by his administration.

“These have been there since 2012. It is not my doing. Just that the level of enforcement then wasn’t as efficient as it is now,” he told Joy FM on the Super Morning Show.

Mr Kotey explained that there were only six compliance officers working across the entire Greater Accra Region when he assumed office. This made it extremely difficult to enforce the laws effectively.

"... Some regions don’t even have compliance at all. But we are supposed to ensure compliance. What will six compliance officers do for the whole of Greater Accra?” he asked.

Addressing the challenge, Mr Kotey said he initiated a policy to boost the number of officers across the country. “So I made it a policy that I give each station 10 compliance officers. Based on the area they operate in, they know where they will go and stand and ensure compliance,” he explained.

The DVLA is asserting that the enforcement process is what has made the public more aware of the infractions and delinquency fees now. Hence, delinquency and infraction fees are not news, but enforcement has improved.

“So I am sure it is because I have equipped the compliance officers; that is why the public is now getting to know about this. But it's been there for a very long time. I didn’t bring that,” he said.

Mr Kotey further pointed out that these charges are backed by law and approved by Parliament. “It is part of the L.I. [Legislative Instrument]. And coming into office, Parliament has not amended any L.I. for me. The first L.I. we sent to Parliament is the commercialisation of motorcycles, so I have not even amended any L.I. when it comes to this,” he said.

“These are fees approved by Parliament, and you can check the Traffic Regulation Act. So it is not my doing. I never implemented these. It’s been there already; it’s just that I have equipped my compliance officers to be more efficient and present on the road,” he added.

The Compliance and Enforcement Unit of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has released a list of delinquency fees for various vehicle-and license-related infractions under the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180), with each offense attracting a fine of GHC225.00.

Vehicle roadworthiness violations include altered vehicle body, rickety general body, torn or dirty seats, faulty seat belts, defective lighting or electrical systems, faulty brakes, worn-out tyres, expired stickers, smoky exhaust emissions, overloaded seating capacity, defaced or obscured number plates, fake customized plates, possession of fake documents such as VRC, Form A, Form C, or stickers, wrong use or expired DV/DP plates, fake vehicle registration, weak suspension, defective steering system, broken or missing driving mirrors or windshields, faulty wiper blades, missing bumper reflectors or wheel nuts, and the use of stylish plates or tinted front glass.

Licence-related infractions include possession of a fake or expired driver’s licence, driving with the wrong class of licence or without a licence, failure to use prescribed glasses, use of expired or invalid Ghanaian or international permits, misuse of driver or learner permits, possession of fake or expired learner permits, driving as a learner without an instructor, instructor violations such as operating without a licence, handling multiple students, absence of a learner plate or instructor tag, affiliation with unapproved driving schools, unauthorized amendments without proper verification, using expired receipts for abandoned services, and lack of retro reflectors, warning triangle, or fire extinguisher.

Meanwhile, Mr Neequaye Kotey, has announced that his outfit is preparing to roll out a new number plate system embedded with smart chips to enhance vehicle tracking and eliminate unregistered cars on Ghana’s roads.

He told Joy FM on Thursday, June 19, that the move is part of efforts to modernise DVLA operations and clamp down on vehicles that enter the country without paying the appropriate duties, often using fake or cloned number plates.

“We are changing the whole number plate system. We want to bring in plastic with a chip embedded in it. And that is what we are trying to put in place to do away with the ‘Togo cars’,” he explained.

According to Mr Kotey, the new chip-enabled number plates will make it easier for security agencies to identify vehicles in real time.“When someone goes to do something bad and the person is running away, it is just about a gun they’ll use to shoot the number plate, and they’ll get every piece of information about the car,” he explained. “From wherever they are, the police or the compliance officer will just shoot a gun at the number plate, and it gives you all the information about the car,” he said.