The 24-hour Towing and Recovery Services Limited has begun a 24-hour towing and accident recovery service in the Accra-Tema metropolis.

Under the scheme, vehicles would be required to register with the company and pay fees ranging from 50,000 to 200,000 cedis annually.

Mr. Thomas Yentumi, Managing Director, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Accra on Saturday that the company has already installed free emergency radio call stations at all the police barriers in Accra and on the Tema Motorway toll points where owners of faulty vehicles could call for their service.

He said drivers who are covered under the 24-hour towing service would be relieved of financial burdens and ensured damage-free towing with modern technology.

Mr. Yentumi appealed to the National Insurance Commission (NIC) to favourably consider its proposals for insured vehicles owners to pay an annual fee towards 24-hour towing services on the highways.

He said this would clear faulty vehicles from the roads and reduce the number of bloody accidents caused by vehicles running into faulty ones parked on highways.

Mr Yentumi said the company submitted a proposal to NIC about a year ago to allow it to charge between 20,000 and 60,000 cedis annually on premiums of all insured vehicles for the service to take off. These fees would be worked into the annual insurance fees so that motorists could enjoy automatic benefits of the towing service.

"No matter how many times a policy holder's vehicle breaks down on the road, the company would have to respond," Mr Yentumi said.

The country's roads have seen scores of fatal accidents caused by vehicles that have broken down on highways.

Mr Yentumi said: "Where a valid insurance policy holder's vehicle breaks down within the borders of Ghana, the vehicle shall be towed to the nearest district or regional capital or any safe place at the motorist's discretion.

"Where a valid insurance policy holder's vehicle is involved in an accident within the borders of Ghana, the vehicle shall be recovered from the accident scene and towed to the nearest police station within whose jurisdiction the accident occurred."

Mr Yentumi said the Ghana Police Service has suggested it would collaborate with the 24-hour towing service by forming a highway patrol team that would report cases of faulty vehicles parked on highways to the company.

He deplored the attitude of motorists who do not place warning triangles on the road to alert other drivers when their vehicles break down, which has led to several accidents and unnecessary deaths.