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The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has introduced an electronic roadworthy certificate and sticker to replace the manual ones currently in use. The initiative, christened E-roadworthy certificate, will take effect from December 1, 2014. It was developed in collaboration with the Controller and Accountants General�s Department. The introduction of the electronic system is aimed at eradicating fake roadworthy documents from the system and also to ensure that all vehicles plying the roads were actually roadworthy to safeguard the safety of drivers, passengers and other road users. The system will also prevent the leakages of revenue generated by the authority ochestrated by middlemen popularly known as �Goro boys� to ensure that the government realises actual revenue generated by the authority for national development. The System As part of the process to acquiring the E-roadworthy certificate and sticker, a vehicle will a have to go through an automated vehicle system to ensure that it was in good shape and safe to ply the road. The automated services are provided by five mandated private institutions known as the private vehicle test stations in the Greater Accra Region, while the services are provided in the other regions by the regional offices of the DVLA. The system verifies if there are no cracks on the windscreen, checks if windscreen is fake or original, checks if wiper has worn out blades and washer spray, checks for front and rear reflectors in place and checks if doors and windows are in good condition, among others. After all the checks have been done, a compilation of the result is done by a computer, and if the vehicle is assessed to have passed the test, the computer issues the E-worthy certificate and sticker. The E-roadworthy sticker has a specially generated QR code which can only be read by specialised verification QR code readers provided by the DVLA for the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) to help its personnel to authenticate all E-roadworthy stickers pasted on vehicles. Vehicles expected to undergo roadworthy inspection All used vehicles or trailers brought into the country are expected to undergo a first safety inspection by the automated system, prior to registration. Vehicles which have been off the road longer than the validity period of a current roadworthy certificate, would also be required to go through a full first safety inspection before it is used on the road. International standards Launching the project in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, said the E-roadworthy system would ensure that roadworthy stickers were of international standards. She said the system would ensure that only vehicles that had been tested and inspected and proven to be road worthy were issued the roadworthy stickers and document. Mrs Attivor said the verification, which the police would be doing with a particular equipment, would ensure that all fake stickers and certificates issued were detected and those involved in their issuance and use, prosecuted accordingly. That, she said, would help to enforce the road traffic regulations to reinforce safety measures at reducing road accident. �The Ministry of Transport sees the introduction of the system as an opportunity to create reliable database of all registered vehicles and, therefore, urges the DVLA to facilitate the development of that database,� she said. That, she said, would enhance the safety and security of all vehicles, help to identify stolen, unregistered ones as well as vehicles that are not roadworthy. Mrs Attivor noted that the population of vehicles continued to grow in the country, therefore, measures such as the E-roadworthy system were required to manage crime and other vices related to vehicle ownership and maintenance. DVLA Boss In his address, the Chief Executive Officer of the DVLA, Mr Rudolph Beckley, said the initiative would help the government to address the regulatory failures of the past and help place the transport sector on a stable and sustainable footing. According to him, the new E-roadworthy sticker had been made virtually impossible to fake by giving it two distinct features , the production and verification parts. The production part synchronises with vehicle data, while the verification part helps to authenticate the information and roadworthiness of the vehicle. Mr Beckley said from December1, 2014 all commercial vehicles with the old roadworthy stickers which were less than three months old and all private cars with the old sticker less than six months old would be replaced with the new E-roadworthy stickers at no cost.