Tema, Feb 26, GNA - About 800 driver's licences have been left unclaimed= by offending drivers, at the office of the Tema Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), of the Ghana Police Service.

The licences were seized from drivers for alleged various motor traffic offences. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Daniel Ansong-Dankyi, Tema Regiona= l MTTU Commander, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency on Thursday in an=

interview said the drivers were issued forms to collect the licences from=

the office after taking passengers on board their vehicles to their destinations but never showed up. The drivers did not report to the police station for the collection of their licences for fear of being arraigned before courts for various offences.

He said the offenders, mostly commercial drivers, rather reported the missing of their licences at other police stations, where extracts were issued to them for the issuance of duplicate licences from the Driver Vehicle and Licencing Authority (DVLA).

The MTTU Commander indicated that henceforth a list of drivers and their=

license numbers would be forwarded to the DVLA to prevent the issuance of=

duplicate licences. DSP Ansong-Dankyi said, most of the time, the behaviour of the recalcitr= ant drivers, compelled some police personnel to ask passengers to alight whil= e the drivers were sent to the police station and processed for court. He, however, implored MTTU officials to allow drivers to take passengers= to their destinations, or provide alternative transportation for the innocen= t passengers. He pleaded with passengers to exercise patience anytime policemen and wo= men conducted checks on vehicles.

He mentioned overspeeding, overloading, careless and inconsiderate drivi= ng, drunk driving, and driving with worn-out tyres as some of the offences police looked out for on the roads during snap checks. DSP Ansong-Dankyi advised drivers to renew their licences every two year= s as indicated on the new license, to avoid arrest. He said instead of renewing their licences every two years, some drivers=

concentrated on the final date of expiration, which is six years from the=

day of issuance.