Accra: Drivers play an indispensable role in Ghana's quest to bring sanity to the roads and prevent crashes that result in deaths, injuries, and loss of property. However, it appears that existing measures, particularly the licensing of drivers to regulate their conduct, are not effective enough. Without mincing words, the time has come for the country to move beyond one-time driver licensing to a regime that takes into consideration long-term driver management.
According to Ghana News Agency, road safety requires continuous monitoring of a driver's safety record to assess the risk they pose to other road users. Currently, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) maintains licensing records and handles renewals, upgrading, and accident-related examinations. The Road Traffic Regulations also provide for the suspension, cancellation, and disqualification of licences, as well as retraining. However, there is no integrated system to bring together a driver's police traffic records, court outcomes, licence sanctions, retraining history, and current authority to drive in one place.
The DVLA has announced plans for a UK-style penalty-points system, where drivers would start each year with a set number of points, losing points for offences and potentially undergoing retraining when points are exhausted. This proposal, pending parliamentary approval, is seen as a positive first step but falls short of the integrated, multi-agency driver profile proposed.
A demerit-points system turns a driver's history of unsafe behaviour into a simple, trackable score. Drivers start each period with a fixed number of points, with offences leading to deductions. Serious offences could attract heavier penalties and, in some cases, suspension. The simplicity of this system lies in its ability to transform scattered warning signs into a visible record that can trigger intervention before a pattern of unsafe behaviour leads to tragedy.
The establishment of a National Driver Safety Profile is crucial. A secure profile covering every category of licensed driver could combine verified information on licence validity, serious convictions, active suspensions, and retraining. This profile should also acknowledge good conduct and periods without offences. The purpose should be lifelong development, accountability, and prevention, rather than punishment alone.
International examples offer useful insights. In the UK, drivers can view their own driving records, while Australia and Singapore have systems to check demerit points and offence records online. Ghana could adapt these shared principles to create integrated records and controlled access. Technology could facilitate this system, allowing for easy scanning of a licence or digital credential before journeys or checks, while ensuring that data protection and accountability are upheld.
Ghana could start with a feasibility study led by the DVLA, the Ghana Police Service, the courts, the National Road Safety Authority, and the Data Protection Commission. A pilot initiative focusing on long-distance and heavy-vehicle operators could identify data-sharing challenges, establish safeguards, and integrate existing systems.
Driving should be seen as a lifelong responsibility. A modern road-safety system should identify repeated risks early, require improvement, and recognise drivers who consistently protect other road users. A National Driver Safety Profile could ensure that a person remains safe, accountable, and properly authorised to drive today.