The Ranking Member on the Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament and MP for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, has called on the government, through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, to urgently organise widespread public education and sensitization programmes on the impending Road Traffic Regulations, 2026.
In a Facebook post on Friday , March 12, 2026, the lawmaker described the regulations which is currently before Parliament and expected to take effect after March 25, 2026, as containing “almost new rules and sanction regimes” for road traffic offenders.
He noted that the document spans about 260 pages, making it essential for drivers, commercial operators, and the general public to be adequately informed before full enforcement begins.
Kennedy Osei Nyarko highlighted several key provisions in the proposed regulations. He noted that no commercial driver would be permitted to operate without belonging to a registered entity with at least 20 members and offices in all 16 regions of Ghana. Such operators he stated would also be issued annual renewable operating licences.
Similarly, the MP indicated that okada operations have been commercialised under the new framework. Individual riders would be required to join registered entities with offices in all 16 regions. Failure to comply would render solo or unregistered okada services illegal and punishable as an offence.
The lawmaker also pointed out a proposed ban on fitting “take me home” (temporary spare) tyres on vehicles. Offenders would face arrest, fines, or imprisonment for up to six months.
He further explained that owners of broken-down vehicles would be granted only 30 minutes to one hour to remove them from the road. Failure to do so would allow the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) to tow the vehicle to an undisclosed location, with the owner liable for towing costs plus penalties.
Another significant change concerns restrictions on the use of sirens and security flash lights. According to the MP, these would be limited to the President and his convoy, all security services, bullion vans, ambulances, and hearses. No other vehicles would be permitted to use them.
The regulations would also introduce a shift to digital enforcement for licence checks. Drivers would no longer need to physically hand over their driver’s licence to police officers. Instead, providing the licence number would suffice for officers to verify details via a new digital platform linked to the DVLA. The MP advised drivers never to surrender their physical licence and to keep the number handy for quick reference.
Kennedy Osei Nyarko emphasised that without comprehensive public awareness, many road users—particularly in the informal transport sector—could inadvertently violate the new rules once they come into force.
Read his full post below:
The new Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 which is currently before parliament and will come into force after March, 25th contains almost new rules and sanction regimes for road traffic offenders. I wish the Government through the DVLA and the MMTD will organize a public education and sensitization for the Ghanaian. I wish I could share the documents but it’s about 260 page documents which will not be possible for me to share. One of the new regulations is that no commercial driver can operate without belonging to a registered entity with not less than 20 members with offices in all the 16 Regions. Commercial drivers will also be issued with operating license which will be renewed every year. Government has also commercialized okada operations and individuals involved in these services must belong to a registered entity with offices in all the 16 regions.
It means that it’s an offense and illegal for individuals to operate okada services without belonging to any registered institution with offices in all the 16 regions. Under these new regulations it’s an offense to put a take me home tires under your car. Per the new regulations you will be arrested and fined or imprisoned for not more than six (6) months. In the new regulations breakdown vehicle owners have been 30 minutes to a maximum of an hour to tow their vehicles from the road risked to be towed by the National Road Safety Authority to an undisclosed location until the owner pays for all costs associated with the towing in addition with a penalty fees. In the new regulations it’s only the president and its convoy’s are allowed to use sirens and security flash lights.
With these new regulations a driver is not required to hand over their drivers license to a police officer. All that he or she requires is to provide the license number to the officer so that they can use their new digital platform which is linked with the DVLA to run a background check on you. Never hand over your drivers license to any police officer if they ask you. That’s what the new regulations says. This is part of the police MMTD’s new digital laws. Always remember to have your license number written down somewhere so that you can produce it whenever you are asked to provide your license.
The other institutions that are permitted under this regulations to use sirens and flashlights are as follows;
1. All the security services
2. Bullion vans
3. Ambulances / Hearses.
These are the only people that can affix sirens and security flashlights in their vehicles.