Transport Units of Institutions to register with NRSA

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Participants at the stakeholders’ consultative meetingParticipants at the stakeholders’ consultative meeting

Transport Units and Departments of Institutions and agencies operating a minimum of twenty vehicles would have to register and receive an operational license from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA).

They would also have to be managed by a person with at least a first degree in Transport and Logistics or a related field belonging to a related professional body.

The transport Units would as well be required to file annual reports on their operations to the NRSA.

These are provisions under the new NRSA Act, 2019 (Act 993) to regulate and promote road safety in the country.

Under the LI, the NRSA among other things, would facilitate and enforce standards in road infrastructure, train and certify vulcanizers, as well as monitor activities of road sector agencies.

The LI seeks to provide a framework for the coordination, regulation, implementation and enforcement of road safety procedures, standards and regulations.

However, institutions such as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) as well as the National Security are exempted from this provision.

Mr Kwame Koduah Atuahene, Head, Regulations, Inspections & Compliance at the NRSA who made this known, said road user indiscipline, institutional irresponsibility and lack of institutional control for public transport operators and service providers as some major concerns regarding road safety in the country.

He was speaking at a regional stakeholders’ consultative meeting on their role in operationalising the Authority’s mandate in Winneba.

It was attended by Coordinating Directors of selected Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and Managers of Transport Operators.

He said the NRSA was focusing on institutional fleets, and ensure that transport officials of the institutions had the requisite training and were abreast with road safety standards.

Mr Atuahene also revealed that Road Transport Related Service Providers including vulcanisers, workshop/mechanic shops, importers of Road Safety Equipment, Road Safety Auditors among others, would also have to register and receive accreditation from the Authority before they could operate.

He explained that despite intensified public education, road accidents kept increasing in the country.

The Authority would therefore be in a better positioned to regulate and enforce standards in the transport industry and minimise crashes if the LI became operational.

He also said, NRSA existed to reduce the incidence of road traffic crashes, fatalities and injuries through the promotion of road safety, development and coordination of road safety related Policies; and implementation and enforcement of standards for road safety.

Mr Atuahene implored all to work together to ensure safety and protect lives by building a culture of institutional compliance.

He called on the media to collaborate directly with the Authority and desist from reporting false information to help reduce road accidents.

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