The Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) is commencing the full implementation of a new penalty regime for roadworthy infractions beginning this month.

Although implementation was expected to start a month ago, the authority says it resolved to dedicate the previous month to educating the public before the full enforcement.

The new law would see motorists who fail to have a full complement of vehicle accessories face sanctions, including a penalty fine of 225 cedis from its original 45 cedis.

Ashanti Regional Manager of the DVLA, Jerry Aflabo, says the new sanctions aim at ensuring vehicles and drivers’ safety and security on the roads.

“This was supposed to start in May, but we wanted to complement education with enforcement. We used the previous month to educate the drivers,” he told Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe during a courtesy visit to the Kumasi Business Unit of the Multimedia Group.

The DVLA expects motorists to possess vehicle accessories, including fire extinguishers, warning triangles, reflectors, among other road safety tool kits.

Mr. Aflabo also advised drivers should avoid using tinted windows in their vehicles.

Ghana’s Road Traffic Regulation Act 2012 section 67 sub-regulations 3 and 4 provides that, “A person shall not drive a motor vehicle with a tinted windscreen…A person may drive a motor vehicle which has glass other than the windscreen with light transmittance of at least seventy percent".

Highlighting the above provisions of the regulations, Mr. Aflabo indicated that persons found culpable will be made to face the rigours of the law.

“It’s for their security. Imagine if you are driving at night and you’re being robbed at gunpoint. Because the vehicle is tinted, nobody sees you being robbed. We know there are privacy concerns. But drivers must be cautious about their safety too,” he noted.