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Claim: A flyer circulating on Facebook, shared by users including Kamal Mohammed Maiga, Aba Dhope Fan base, and DJ Aggrey, claims the Ghana Police Service has prohibited motorists and riders from using AirPods, earphones, or other audio devices while driving or riding.
Verdict: FALSE. The Ghana Police Service has publicly disowned the flyer, stating it was neither issued nor authorised by the Service. Ghanaian road traffic law, under Regulation 132 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519), restricts hand-held use of mobile phones and communication devices while driving, not the passive use of earphones or AirPods.
Full Text
A flyer designed to resemble an official public safety announcement began circulating on Facebook, claiming that Ghanaian law prohibits motorists and riders from using AirPods, earphones, or similar audio devices while driving or riding.
A flyer designed to resemble an official public safety announcement began circulating on Facebook
Several social media users (Kamal Mohammed Maiga, Aba Dhope Fan base, and DJ Aggrey) shared it, drawing wide engagement and prompting confusion among road users.
DUBAWA decided to investigate the claim as part of efforts to promote truth-telling in public discourse.
Verification
DUBAWA traced the claim to a flyer that gained traction on Facebook in the days before the Police statement.
On Tuesday, August 18, the Police said in a post on its official Facebook page that the flyer was not issued or authorised by the Service.
Screenshot of the Police debunking the false notice
The Police statement not only denies the flyer; it also points road users to the actual legal position on device use while driving.
Regulation 132 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519)
The police referred road users to Regulation 132 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519), which prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle on a road or in a public place while holding, using, or operating a cellular or mobile telephone or any other communication device in one or both hands.
This provision targets hand-held operation of phones and similar devices, such as texting or holding a phone to make a call, rather than the passive use of earphones or wireless audio devices like AirPods.
Notably, the regulation also permits a driver to use a telephone or other device to contact the Police, Fire Service or another emergency service where it is unsafe or impracticable to stop driving to make the call, and a person who contravenes the hand-held provision commits an offence and, on summary conviction, is liable to a fine of not more than 50 penalty units, imprisonment for a term of not more than three months, or both.
While dismissing the flyer as fake, the Police used the moment to reissue a general road safety caution rather than a new legal rule. The police cautioned motorists and other road users that any activity or device that distracted them or compromised their attention, hearing, and control of a vehicle, or their awareness of surrounding traffic, could pose a serious risk to road safety, and urged the public to exercise maximum care while using the roads.
The Police also confirmed that the impersonation is being treated as a security matter in its own right. The Police say their Cybercrime Unit is already tracing those behind the false publication, indicating that the case is being pursued as unauthorised use of the Service’s identity rather than closed with a simple denial.
Primary Source
“The Service wishes to clarify that the flyer is not a communication of the Ghana Police Service. We have neither issued nor authorised the said publication; and our Cybercrime Unit is working on tracing those behind the false publication” — Ghana Police Service, official statement, August 18, 2026.
Conclusion
The claim that the Ghana Police Service has banned or prohibited the use of AirPods, earphones, or other audio devices while driving or riding in Ghana is FALSE. The Police have officially disowned the circulating flyer as unauthorised and are investigating its source through the Cybercrime Unit.
The applicable law, L.I. 2519, restricts only hand-held use of mobile phones and communication devices while driving — it does not mention or regulate earphones or AirPods.
