170 traffic offenders freed to go and sin no more

The Western Regional Police Command has freed over 140 drivers and more than 30 motorbike riders arrested for flouting road traffic regulations.

The regional command before freeing the offenders impressed upon them the importance of obeying road safety regulations and warned them to go and sin more.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Western Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Olivia Ewurabena Adiku said "owners of the vehicles and bikes are to go and repair the defects and regularize their documents before the next operation."

Offenses

For the vehicles, Ms Adiku said the drivers were provisionally charged with offenses such as expired road worthy certificate, expired licenses, driving without spare tyres, defective break lights and failure to renew other road safety requirements. The motorbikes, she said, were not registered and did not comply with required road safety rules.

She said the month of February was dedicated to educating the motorists and that they were advised on the importance of renewing their vehicle and driving documents, the need for carrying spare tyres and also undergoing regular maintenance.

She stressed the importance of drivers acquiring all the legally required documents and accessories and making the road safe for pedestrians and other road users.

But after a month of education, vehicles continued to ply the roads that did not meet the road safety requirements.

Freeing the drivers was thus a test to see if the arrests would send the right signal to others.

“The Western Regional Police Command and the entire police force was committed to ensure that accidents were reduced to the barest minimum if not eliminated,” she said.

She therefore asked the drivers to see the enforcement by the police after the month of education as a move towards the elimination of the insanity on the country’s roads.

She also advised motorbike riders to ensure that their bikes were duly registered and that the police would continue to carry out periodic checks to ensure safety on the roads.