Deputy Minister of Transport, Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, has described as “unacceptable” the decision by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to charge a mandatory GHS108 fee for First Aid boxes.

The DVLA introduced the compulsory fee this year. It is taken from car owners who go for registration.

This decision has been met with stiff opposition from drivers, vehicle owners and from the Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Kwame Agbodza, who is also the Minority spokesperson on Roads and Transport.

Reacting to this development on the Executive Breakfast Show (EBS) on Class91.3FM on Thursday, 4 January 2018, Mr Titus-Glover said the DVLA cannot impose products on vehicle owners.

According to him, the Ministry was not consulted before the decision was made by the authority.

He told show host Moro Awudu that: “This is totally unacceptable and DVLA cannot and I repeat unilaterally force products and prices on the public.

“Yes, we are all supposed to have first aid boxes in our vehicles [but] that is an individual position. We are in the free market, I can walk to any shop, walk to any place to buy any first aid box and put it in my car and it is the duty of the police to inspect if I have one or not.

But where you want to force it on the throat of the public to buy at cut throat prices is totally unacceptable.”