New road traffic regulations: Automated spot fines for 49 offences take effect November 1

The Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service says automated spot fines for 49 road traffic offences will take effect on November 1, 2026, as part of efforts to improve road safety and enforce traffic regulations.

Director of Research, Education and Planning at the MTTD, ACP Alexander Obeng, said the new system would allow motorists who commit certain offences, including speeding, to be penalised without necessarily being arrested and taken to court.

Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, ACP Obeng explained that the automated enforcement system had been developed in collaboration with the road transport union.

He said the MTTD had put in place the necessary equipment, software, cameras and a back-office system to monitor motorists, particularly in areas identified as prone to speeding.

According to him, the department had tested the system for about a year and was now preparing to roll it out under the new road traffic regulations.

“It’s not all the offences that you will be arrested and taken to court. Forty-nine of the offences are not going to be handled through arrest and court proceedings. They will be dealt with through automated road traffic offence fines,” he said.

ACP Obeng explained that under the system, liability for an offence detected by the cameras would initially be linked to the registered owner of the vehicle.

The motorist would be provided with evidence of the alleged offence and given 14 days to either pay the prescribed penalty or challenge the notice through the same online portal.

He said the process was intended to make enforcement more transparent by ensuring that motorists could access the evidence against them rather than having to rely solely on records kept in a police docket.

“You have 14 days to consider whether to pay the penalty or, on the same portal, contest it within the 14 days. The evidence will be given to you,” he explained.

ACP Obeng said the MTTD began implementing aspects of the enforcement measures on September 10, 2026, and had since observed a reduction in reported road accidents.

He disclosed that road accident reports recorded by the department fell from 1,108 in September last year to 1,003 in September 2026, representing a reduction of about 9.5 per cent.

He expressed hope that the introduction of automated fines would further strengthen compliance with road traffic regulations and help reduce road crashes.

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