The Kaneshie Division of the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) on Thursday impounded 46 motorbikes after a routine swoop at Kaneshie in Accra.
According to the Kaneshie Divison MTTD Commander, DSP Elvis Bawa Sadongo, the swoop was part of routine efforts to reduce the rate at which motorbike riders flout traffic regulations in the country.
“First and foremost we are looking for law breakers because you understand that the preventive aspect of our function is what we are trying to do, we don’t want things to happen”, DSP Sadongo said in an interview with Graphic Online.
He added, “Because these motorbikes, they don’t wear helmets, they have no roadworthy certificates and they don’t have insurance and the rates of accidents involving motorbikes in this country is alarming, I don’t have the figures but it is alarming.”
“A lot of people use motorbikes to commit crimes, so we have motorbikes we are looking for and some too are stolen bikes, recently we had a lot of reports about people’s bikes being snatched and so we have all those reports, It is a combination of all these that has informed the exercise that we are doing this morning.”
“In fact, it is a continuous exercise until we are able to reduce the rate at which motorbike riders flout traffic regulations in this country.
“I am sure you are aware that the National Road Safety Commission in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service have started training motorbike riders for which they will be given certificates for riding”.
He added that the seized motorbikes would be screened and their numbers would be forwarded to other stations who will crosscheck their list of wanted motorbikes before action is taken.
“We are doing the screening now and it takes some time… We have started and it is something we intend to continue. Normally when the bike is arrested, the owner is also kept because for instance if it is a stolen bike as soon as you impound the bike the owner will run away and you have done nothing because you will announce and you will never see the owner”.
He said owners of the seized bikes would be processed for court.
Source:Graphic.com.gh