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The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has warned vehicle owners against fixing Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps to their vehicles since it contravened traffic regulations.

The authority said the fixing of LED lamps had become a fashion that was posing a serious threat to other road users since the lights blinded oncoming vehicles.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Takoradi yesterday, the Western Regional Director of NRSA, Nana Akua Ansah Cobbinah, said offending drivers would not be spared by the law.

She said the authority, in collaboration with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, had in the past, educated motorists on vehicle lamps, leading to the removal of additional lights on vehicles that were unauthorised but the practice was recurring.

Reaction

In spite of the admonition, some vehicle owners and commercial drivers in the metropolis have explained that the decision to include LED lamps on their vehicles was because the roads were poorly lit.

According to them, there were no functional lights on the highways which had many breakdown vehicles along their stretches. Additionally, they contended that road signage and markings and unauthorised speed humps posed danger to drivers which required that more lights were added to aid drivers to avoid accidents.

The law

Nana Cobbinah said vehicle manufacturers had already fixed lights that were required to the vehicles, and therefore there was no need for owners to use additional lights.

She said the Road Traffic Regulation, 2013 (LI 2180) prescribed what should be fitted on a vehicle.

“It says a vehicle should be fitted with a pair of driving lamps designed to provide general illumination of the roadway ahead of the motor vehicle,” she said.

She explained that a vehicle might have one or two auxiliary spots or flood lamps to augment the driving lamp but these must not exceed four.

“The argument that these lights are fitted on vehicles due to poor illumination does not mean vehicle owners should act otherwise. I must say that for more than two decades we have heard these arguments.

“We have also been educating stakeholders on the dangers of not wearing seatbelts, driving tired, driving under the influence of alcohol and non-use of proper reflectors, among many others,” she said.

The Western Regional Director of NRSA said drivers had received education on road safety regulations and proper conduct on the road since 1999 till date; however, she added that the grace period was over.  

Passengers

Nana Cobbinah urged the travelling public to take special interest in their transportation and ensure that drivers respected road safety regulations.

“There are laws relating to the wearing of seatbelt; therefore, irrespective of the means of transport, passengers should value their safety and wear a seatbelt,” she said.