DVLA plate suspension raises insurance, public safety concerns

The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, has welcomed the decision by the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority (DVLA) to suspend the proposed new vehicle number plate system but has warned that aspects of the directive accompanying the suspension pose serious legal and public safety risks.

In a statement issued on Monday, December 29 following the suspension of the new system originally scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026 Dr. Agyemang said the decision was justified due to concerns raised in Parliament about institutional preparedness, inadequate stakeholder engagement, and the lack of necessary amendments to the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180).

He also cited a High Court injunction granted on December 23, 2025, which restrained the implementation of the proposed number plate system.

However, the Abuakwa South MP expressed strong reservations about the DVLA’s directive allowing vehicles currently using Drive from Port (DP) and Defective Vehicle (DV) number plates to continue operating “until further notice.”

According to Dr. Agyemang, this directive conflicts with the Motor Vehicles (Third Party Insurance) Act, 1958 (Act 42), which mandates that every vehicle used on a public highway must be covered by valid third-party insurance.

“The purpose of compulsory insurance is to protect innocent third parties in the event of death, bodily injury, or property damage,” he stated.

He explained that DP and DV plates are temporary and conditional by nature, and insurance policies issued for such plates are limited in duration and scope, pending inspection and full registration. Allowing their prolonged use, he warned, undermines the integrity of Ghana’s compulsory motor insurance regime.

Dr. Agyemang further noted that sections 10 and 11 of Act 42 impose a statutory obligation on insurers to satisfy judgments obtained by third parties against insured persons. These protections, he said, depend entirely on the existence of valid insurance at the time an incident occurs.

“Permitting vehicles to operate without valid and effective third-party insurance exposes the public to uninsured road use, uncompensated victims, and avoidable litigation,” he cautioned.

He added that administrative directives cannot override statutory obligations, pointing to sections 16 and 17 of the Act, which criminalise the use of vehicles on public roads without valid insurance documentation.

The MP therefore called on the Minister for Transport to urgently intervene by regularising the status of DP and DV plates in strict compliance with the law, ensuring that no vehicle operates on public highways without valid third-party insurance, and issuing clear policy direction to the DVLA to prevent uninsured road use.

He also urged the National Insurance Commission (NIC) to enforce insurance provisions strictly, stressing that “compulsory motor insurance exists to protect the public, not to accommodate administrative uncertainty.”