Authorities to tackle fake insurance dealers
The National Insurance Commission (NIC), together with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service will soon commence a nationwide exercise aimed at enforcing the Motor Insurance Database (MID) introduced by the NIC in January, 2020.
The objective of the joint task force is to clamp down on patrons and dealers of fake motor insurance in a bid to reduce the number of uninsured vehicles on the roads, while protecting the interest of policy holders and the general public.
Motorists are, therefore, advised to ensure they have valid motor insurances in order to avoid a brush with the law.
The Commissioner of Insurance, Mr Justice Yaw Ofori, who said this indicated that already, some unscrupulous persons allegedly dealing in fake insurance stickers are currently facing prosecution.
Training of Police MTTD Personnel
Mr Ofori said the NIC had completed a nationwide Training of Trainers (ToT) programme on the MID for some 400 personnel of the MTTD.
The MID, he said, came with electronic stickers with QR Codes and other security features and makes it possible for the purchasers of motor insurance to receive real time SMS, confirming the authenticity of their motor insurance policy.
Similarly, motorists, as well as the general public are also able to utilise a short code (*920*57#) to authenticate the validity of their insurance policies.
Mr Ofori further stated that about 1,000 Gota phones (hand-held devices) are currently being configured with the necessary security features to aid the police in detecting the validity of motor insurance policies.
MID Performance and Challenges
On the performance of the MID, Mr Ofori stated that the system had recorded over 554,000 electronic stickers so far, indicating the growing confidence in the system as many motorists now buy valid insurance from approved entities.
“All old policies issued prior to January 20, 2020, have been uploaded onto the database and their new electronic stickers will be issued upon renewal,” he stated.
Benefits of the MID
Mr Ofori noted that the MID would help facilitate the authentication of the insurance of vehicles plying the roads, thereby securing the protection of policyholders, motorists, road users, as well as other third parties who may suffer from the negligence of motorists.
He said it would also curb the activities of fake motor insurance dealers in the system and make insurance companies more financially sound and liquid in order to pay genuine claims promptly and adequately.