The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has announced that from 2026, vehicle owners will be required to remove broken-down vehicles from intercity roads and highways within 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the location.

The directive follows growing concerns from road users about the dangers posed by stationary and broken-down vehicles, which authorities say contribute significantly to road crashes.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, December 30, the Executive Director of the Authority, Abraham Amaliba, explained that the recently passed Road Traffic Amendment Bill makes it mandatory for vehicle owners to promptly tow broken-down vehicles off the road or face penalties.

He said under the new law, vehicle owners will be required to subscribe to a towing service. In city centres, drivers will have 30 minutes to contact a towing company once a vehicle breaks down, while those on highways will have up to one hour to do so.
“The stationary vehicles are also a cause of accidents, and the new law has also provided that coming next year, every vehicle owner must subscribe to a towing company, which means that once your car breaks down, you have 30 minutes, if it is in the city centre, to call a towing company. You are not bound to subscribe to one particular towing company," he said.

He added that failure to remove a stationary vehicle within the stipulated time will empower the NRSA to tow the vehicle away and surcharge the owner for the cost of removal.

Mr. Amaliba noted that the detailed operational guidelines will be captured in a forthcoming Legislative Instrument (L.I.), stressing that the measures are aimed at reducing accidents and improving road safety nationwide.

“Insurance companies can also provide that same service. It’s allowed. If it’s on the highways you have one hour, within which to call your towing company. Failure to do this, then the National Road Safety Authority will come and remove the stationary vehicle and then surcharge you for the removal of the vehicle. These are the exciting things that are going to be in the L.I. So, within 30 minutes, you must call the subscriber and they must respond,” he stressed.