The Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service has explained some of the requirements under the new Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519), ahead of the start of full automated traffic enforcement on October 1, 2026.
The regulations, which are already in force, cover a range of requirements for vehicle owners and drivers, including tyre age, windscreen tint, parking, roadside repairs, seat belts, vehicle registration and reflective markings.
The Police Service has announced that full automated enforcement under its TRAFFITECH-GH programme will begin on October 1.
The system will use cameras and handheld devices to detect traffic offences, with offenders receiving electronic notices by SMS.
The Director of Education, Research and Training at the MTTD, ACP Alexander Kwaku Obeng, gave the explanations in a radio interview on Joy FM on Monday, September 28.
He said the regulations set standards for vehicle owners and drivers, as well as requirements for the authorities responsible for enforcing them.
Tyre age
ACP Obeng said Regulation 87 required vehicles to be fitted with safe tyres and provided that a tyre must not be more than six years old from its date of manufacture.
He said the manufacturing date was embossed on the sidewall of a tyre as a four-digit code showing the week and year of manufacture.
For example, a tyre manufactured in the 40th week of 2026 would bear the code 4026, he said.
He advised motorists and vehicle owners to check the age of tyres before buying them and avoid accepting old stock from dealers.
According to him, a tyre manufactured in 2019 should not be bought, even if it had never been used.
ACP Obeng also said tyres imported into Ghana must have a temperature rating of A or B.
Tyres with a temperature rating of C, he said, could not be imported into the country.
He warned that tyres worn down to the canvas were more prone to punctures and could cause vehicles to hydroplane on wet roads.
Windscreen tint
Under Regulation 92, ACP Obeng said the front windscreen of a vehicle must not have any tint.
He said vehicle windows should allow 70 per cent of light through, allowing a person about 60 metres away to see into the vehicle.
He said the requirement was based on the principle of "see and be seen".
Exemptions, he said, applied to security and emergency service providers.
Seat belts, registration
ACP Obeng said vehicle owners were responsible for ensuring that seats were fitted with seat belts.
He added that drivers must ensure that passengers under 18 years wore seat belts.
He said no person was permitted to own or use a vehicle that was not properly registered.
Vehicle owners and drivers were also responsible for ensuring that their vehicles were serviced and remained roadworthy, he said.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) would periodically certify vehicles as roadworthy.
ACP Obeng further said number plates fitted with RFID-compliant chips for traceability formed part of the vehicle registration requirements.
He said the DVLA would provide further information on the matter later this year.
Parking, roadside repairs
ACP Obeng said parking wholly or partly on the verge or shoulder of a road, including footways, was an offence.
He also said there was no provision under the regulations allowing mechanics to carry out vehicle repairs on road shoulders.
He said enforcement teams and the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies would have to work together to stop the practice and tow vehicles where necessary.
ACP Obeng also described blocking entrances and exits to properties as a serious offence.
He said commercial drivers who stopped buses and taxis outside designated areas contributed to traffic congestion.
According to him, the police were called to such locations daily.
Reflectors
ACP Obeng said vehicles were required to carry standard reflective stickers, with white reflectors at the front and red ones at the rear.
He explained that some fittings on new vehicles which appeared reflective were for aesthetic purposes and did not meet the requirements for retro-reflectors under the regulations.
He added that vehicles weighing 1.5 tonnes or more were required to carry reflective bands to make them visible when they broke down.
Motorcycles
On commercial motorcycles, ACP Obeng said the police expected training for persons aged 21 and above, the introduction of a new commercial motorcycle licence and dedicated number plates in the coming months.
Enforcement concerns
Some callers to the programme questioned the enforcement of the regulations, particularly the continued parking of vehicles on road verges.
Another caller raised concerns about broken traffic lights and potholes.
ACP Obeng said enforcement was already under way and stressed the need for the police to work with the assemblies and other local authorities to address traffic-related problems.
He said road engineers were responsible for traffic lights, footbridges, road markings and bus lay-bys.
The police, he said, could alert the relevant authorities when such infrastructure required attention.
ACP Obeng supported calls for broken traffic lights to be restored promptly.
He also cited Regulation 242, which allows the police to use digital sensors to gather evidence against motorists who leave their vehicles on road verges.
The technology, he said, would enable such motorists to be issued with traffic tickets.
