The management of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has instituted measures to licence and regulate private garages to test vehicles to make the process more accessible to the public. It would in addition, improve quality of vehicle testing in the country. Mrs Mabel Sagoe, Acting Chief Executive Officer of DVLA announced this during inauguration of the expanded Tema Metropolitan Office of DVLA on Friday. The one-storey building with an examination hall, customer waiting room, client service unit, an on-site bank, administration offices and pantry at a cost of GH¢ 260,615 was financed from its internally generated fund. The office registered about 14,896 vehicles between January and October this year, representing about 17 per cent of vehicles registered in the country during the period. It registered about 16,924 vehicles in 2007 representing 18.7 per cent of vehicles registered nation-wide. Mrs Sagoe urged customers of DVLA to desist from using middlemen to process their licences and other documents, which waste much time was also expensive when they had to pay between 100 to 300 per cent excess fees compared to the official fees. She said the office realised GH¢ 981,792 in revenue by the end of October, this year compared to GH¢1,065,050 in 2006 and GH¢ 1,205,196 in 2007. Mrs Sagoe said Tema office ranked second after Accra in vehicle registration in the country and needed to be expanded to meet the increasing volume of vehicles. She pledged that the office would be improved upon periodically since DVLA was committed to improve its facilities to meet international standards. Dr Richard Winfred Anane, Minister for Transportation in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Magnus Opare Asamoah, Deputy Minister for Transportation said the rehabilitation was in fulfilment of government’s programme to DVLA to ensure it operated efficiently and effectively. He said provision of an on-site banking hall would improve its revenue mobilisation and accounting as well as engender smooth and speedy financial transactions of customers to eliminate undue delays and financial impropriety. Dr Anane pointed out that drivers must be educated to improve upon their driving skills to help reduce the spate of road accidents noting that the Authority was on record of introducing a one-stop-shop drivers’ licence issuance. He stressed the need for stakeholders to promote road safety in the country to reduce the fatality rate of 21.3 persons per 10,000 vehicles to the targeted single digit level by 2015. Dr Anane urged personnel of DVLA to put in their maximum efforts to inspect, register and issue vehicle examination certificates, while drivers and pedestrians strictly adhered to basic driving practices to avoid road accidents. Nii Adjei Kraku II, Tema Mantse, appealed to drivers to desist from careless and drunk driving during Election 2008 and Christmas festivities. He urged drivers to use the appropriate procedure to acquire documents for their vehicles instead of using dubious means to acquire their documents which was criminal. Source: GNA