Road Safety Commission to intensify public education on towing levy

The Committee on Roads and Transport of Parliament has lauded the towing service project and called on the Road Safety Commission to step up public education on it.

The service, to be accompanied by a tax, which was announced early this week, has attracted public outcry prior to its implementation.

The project is based on Section 102 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (LI 2180), and the Committee is engaging stakeholders in order to identify the concerns relating to the implementation of the project.

According to a report of the Committee on the project, despite the public outcry, a vast majority of stakeholders are in agreement with the principle of mandatory payment and towing of disabled vehicles on the roads to ensure safety.

Mr Samuel Aye-Paye, the Chairman of the Committee, during an in interaction with journalists in Accra, said a contract between the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and the Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSMSL) had duly been signed.

The Committee recommended that the mandatory payment of the towing fees was the most sustainable way to make the project feasible.

It, therefore, called on NRSC and their agents to develop and implement a detailed public education programme and report to the Committee before the implementation of the project.

It also urged the NRSC to submit to Parliament a bi-annual performance report on the operations of the service provider through the Minister responsible for Transport.

The Committee further recommended that the RSMSL and NRSC should consider allocating 2.5 per cent each of the stipulated 85 per cent for the service provider to the National Health Insurance Authority and the National Ambulance Service.

Source: GNA