The National Insurance Commission (NIC) together with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, will soon commence a nationwide exercise to enforce the Motor Insurance Database (MID).

The MID was introduced by the Commission in January this year.

A joint task force will be on the road to inspect motor insurance, to reduce the number of uninsured vehicles on our roads.

The NIC has thus advised motorists to ensure they have valid motor insurances to avoid a brush with the law.

Justice Yaw Ofori, Commissioner of Insurance said already, some unscrupulous persons allegedly dealing in fake insurance stickers are currently facing prosecution.

He said the Commission had completed a nationwide Training of Trainers programme on the MID for some 400 personnel of the MTTD.

The MID comes with electronic stickers embedded with QR Codes and other security features that make it possible for the purchasers of motor insurance to receive real-time SMS, confirming the authenticity of their motor insurance policy.

Similarly, motorists as well as the general public, are also able to utilise a short code (*920*57#) to authenticate the validity of their insurance policies.

Mr Ofori said about 1,000 Gota phones (hand-held devices) are currently being configured with the necessary security features to aid the police in detecting the validity of motor insurance policies.

The Commissioner said the system has already recorded over 554,000 electronic stickers, so far, indicating the growing confidence in the system, as most motorists now buy valid insurances with approved entities.

All old policies issued before January 20, 2020, have been uploaded onto the database, and their new electronic stickers will be issued upon renewal.

He said the MID would facilitate the authentication of the insurance of vehicles plying our roads thereby securing the protection of policyholders, motorists, road users as well as other third parties who may suffer from the negligence of motorists.

Mr Ofori said the MID will also make insurance companies more financially solid and liquid to pay genuine claims promptly and adequately.

Commenting on the use of motorcycles for commercial purposes, Mr Ofori said the Commission has advised regulated insurance entities not to insure motorcycles and tricycles used to carry fare-paying passengers.

He said the laws of the country does not permit the carriage of fare-paying passengers by these cycles.

“We have to abide by the Law as clearly stipulated in Regulation 128 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (Legislative Instrument 2180),” he cautioned.

The Insurance boss admonished, passengers particularly, to ensure that before they board any commercial vehicle or accept rides from anyone, to check if the vehicle in question has valid insurance by dialling the MID short code *920*57#, to ensure they are adequately secured.