Enforce law on age requirement for commercial drivers 

Dear Editor,

Over the past few months, the ages of some drivers of commercial vehicles continue to baffle me.

This is common during weekends when one boards any of the commercial vehicles – be it trotros and okada.

I remember, I boarded a taxi from the Accra Central area towards the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area. When I sat in the vehicle, I realised the driver was a young boy. Specifically, he said he was 18.

I know our laws do not permit youth under the age of 21 to be driving; that is clearly against Ghana’s Road Traffic laws for operating commercial vehicles.

Some commuters have even had confrontations with station masters over the issue and have refused to board vehicles driven by underage individuals, despite the risk of arriving late for work.

This situation is deeply disturbing because it puts the lives of passengers and other road users at risk.

No matter how skilled such drivers may be, allowing underage persons to operate commercial vehicles is wrong and unlawful. Laws governing road safety are meant to protect lives, and ignoring them only increases the chances of accidents and loss of lives.

I therefore urge the relevant authorities, especially the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, to strictly enforce the age requirements for commercial driving in the country.

Baba

Labadi