The Bureau of Public Safety (BPS) has expressed severe concern and disappointment regarding recent amendments to the Road Regulations Act LI 2180, which have expanded speed limit exemptions and permissions.
The amendments now include all members of parliament and ministers of state, extending to various critical areas such as school zones, hospital zones, parks, and residential areas.
In an official statement released on Sunday, the BPS has called on the Transport Minister to retract these amendments immediately. They argue that these changes pose significant threats to road safety, equality, and overall public accountability.
Key Objections Raised by the BPS include:
Public Safety Risks: The BPS argues that there were already significant concerns with existing exemptions. Allowing more road users to exceed speed limits endangers not only their lives but also the lives of all road users.
Statistics indicate that speeding is the leading cause of road crashes in Ghana, with more than 2,000 deaths and over 15,000 injuries annually since 2009. The BPS suggests that the new exemptions could exacerbate these figures.
Emergency Services Disruption: The BPS warns that permitting public officeholders to use sirens, alarms, and strobe lights may lead to confusion and potential delays in genuine emergency responses. This could ultimately compromise public safety.
The misuse of these privileges could further undermine law enforcement’s efforts to control indiscipline on roads.
Inequality and Abuse of Privilege: The amendment is viewed as granting undue privileges to members of the state and parliament, fostering inequality and a culture of privilege.
Best practices in advanced jurisdictions: The Bureau of Public Safety in its opinion based on practices in civilised and advanced jurisdictions, exemptions from speed limits should strictly be limited to the presidency and emergency institutions. It opined that broadening the use of strobe lights and sirens to public officeholders is unnecessary and counterproductive.
The Bureau is by this means calling on the transport minister to withdraw the bill from parliament with immediate effect and cause the wide exemptions and permissions to be expunged before relaying it.
It added that the National Road Safety Authority must collaborate with law enforcement agencies to curb the increasing illegal use of sirens on motor vehicles in the country.
