Mr Frederick Boakye-Yiadom, the Upper West Regional Assistant Manager of the National Insurance Commission (NIC) has urged tricycle (Cambuu) owners and operators to insure their tricycles to help protect the lives of passengers and other road users.
He said third-party motor insurance was compulsory by law in Ghana and that refusal of the tricycle operators to insure their tricycles was against the law.
Mr Boakye-Yiadom was speaking at a sensitisation programme for Cambuu Riders Association in Wa on Thursday jointly organised by the Upper West Regional Office of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), the NIC, Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
Other stakeholders at the sensitization programme were the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Wa Municipal Assembly, and traditional authorities among others.
The programme was to engage the tricycle operators to help ensure sanity and to avoid carnages on the road before, during, and after the yuletide.
“In Ghana, there are some insurances that are compulsory and one of them is third-party motor insurance.
Motor insurance for third-party is not just to protect pedestrians or passengers but to also protect the owner or driver of the vehicle from third-party liabilities when it involves an accident such as bodily injury and death”, Mr Boakye-Yiadom said.
He explained that a percentage of all motor insurance premiums goes to the Motor Compensation Fund established by the NIC to compensate persons who suffer injuries or the dependents of a person who dies through a motor accident and who are unable to obtain compensation from an insurance company because their motors were either not insured or have their insurance expired.
He explained that their research indicated that most tricycles in the region were not insured and that it was not only illegal but also put the lives of other road users at risk in the unlikely event of an accident.
On claims payment, Mr Boakye-Yiadom allayed fears of the tricycle operators and said: "The insurance companies do, in fact, pay genuine claims."
He explained that the only case in which insurance companies do not pay claims is when the driver of the vehicle does not have insurance, a valid license, or has their vehicle road-worthy certificates expired.
He urged participants who may experience any undue delay in claims processes to report to the NIC for redress.
He, therefore, encouraged the tricycle operators to take advantage of the available insurance companies in the region to get their motors insured to enable them to benefit from the insurance packages.
Mr Boakye-Yiadom said they will embark on vigorous enforcement in the coming days.