Accra, June 6, GNA - The Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of th= e Ghana Police Service convicted about 1,800 persons for road traffic offence= s nationwide from January to the end of May this year. The total fine imposed on offenders during the five-month period was GH¢400,000 with a monthly average of GH¢80,000, he said. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Alexander Obeng, Head of Education, Research and Training, MTTU in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said some offenders were also jailed.

He noted that as compared to the whole of last year when a total numbe= r of 5,069 cases was sent to court out of which 3,348 persons were convicted, there was an alarming increase in the number of cases this year. He said in just five months, a total of 2,500 persons had been sent to court through the increased presence of the police on the road and the continuous enforcement of road traffic regulations.

ASP Obeng stated that cases sent to court involved defiant and reckles= s drivers who had been arrested for violating road traffic laws such as wrongful overtaking, unlawful parking, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, overloading, speeding and driving while using mobile phones. Other offenders, according to him, were unlicensed drivers, persons wh= o used Licence B to drive commercial vehicles leading to accidents and those who used motorcycles for commercial purposes, known as "Okada Operators". "This should serve as a warning to all road users, especially drivers, to change their behaviour on the road because the police will not spare anyone who will be caught breaking the laws," ASP Obeng said.

He advised the public not to leave issues relating to road safety in the hands of Police MTTU, or the National Road Safety Commission or Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority alone because it was a shared responsibility for everybody.

ASP Obeng urged passengers not to hesitate to report any act of indiscipline exhibited by drivers on the road to the police, especially those who drove while talking on phone.