Ghana’s road traffic law changed in 2026, in two parts:
- The Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act 1153), assented to on 24 December 2025, which amends the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683).
- The Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519), made on 23 February 2026 and approved by Parliament on 28 May 2026. It revokes and replaces the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180), which most of Ghana’s driving rules - and much of what is written about them - came from.
Automated enforcement under the new rules, TraffiTech-GH, went live on 1 November 2026, starting with speeding.
What carries over
Licences, permits and registrations issued under L.I. 2180 stay valid until they expire or are reviewed or cancelled. You do not need to renew anything early because the regulations changed.
What changed
The Ministry of Transport lists these as the main changes:
- Speed and red-light cameras, with fines sent as electronic notices.
- A demerit point system linked to the driving licence.
- A lower drink-drive limit: 0.05, down from 0.08. In practice, a drink can now put you over.
- Speed limits for commercial and public transport, and rest intervals for long-distance drivers.
- Stricter vehicle inspection, axle-load control and licensing for hazardous goods.
- Commercial motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles - okada and pragya - recognised for carrying fare-paying passengers, under licence.
- New licence cards and number plates, expected from early 2027.
Fines are in penalty units
Most offences carry a range of penalty units, a prison term, or both. A penalty unit is ₵12. Some of the commonest, from the published schedule:
| Offence | Regulation | Penalty units | Or prison, or both |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holding or using a phone while driving | 132 | Up to 50 | Up to 3 months |
| Drink or drug driving | 131 | 50 to 200 | Up to 40 months |
| Not wearing a seatbelt | 144 | 10 to 50 | Up to 8 months |
| Speeding | 212 | 10 to 25 | Up to 30 days |
| Riding without a helmet or reflective clothing | 109 | 25 to 50 | Up to 3 months |
| A tinted front windscreen | 92 | 25 to 50 | Up to 3 months |
The phone rule covers holding the phone in either hand, not only calling. There is an exception for emergency calls; navigation is not one, so mount the phone before you set off.
Camera fines
A camera offence comes as an electronic notice of violation. Pay within 14 days; after that a daily penalty of 1% of the fine is added. Repeat offences cost more, and enough of them in a short time can lead to the licence being suspended or revoked.
Fake fine messages
A new fine system brings new scams. A text or WhatsApp message demanding payment to a mobile money number is not a notice of violation. Check any notice with the police’s Motor Traffic and Transport Department or the DVLA before paying.
— Online fraud, and how to avoid it
Seatbelts and children
The driver and front passenger must wear a seatbelt, and the vehicle’s owner must make sure seatbelts and child restraints meet the standards set.
What this site is checking
Our driving guides were written against L.I. 2180. L.I. 2519’s full text is not yet published online, so where a guide quotes an L.I. 2180 rule - licence renewal, roadworthy intervals, number plates - it now says so, and the DVLA has the current position.
— Okada: the law and the risks — Driving in Accra — Driving licences — Renewing a roadworthy certificate