The Department of Transport is considering an updated driver licence system in South Africa that will see the validity period of licences extended to a 10-year period.<\/p>\n
The Automobile Association (AA) of South Africa has welcomed the move, but says that the change to a 10-year system will come with several addendums.<\/p>\n
“We are very happy that research is being done and we feel it is a very pragmatic approach to this issue. We are confident that the research is going to show that it is practical not only from a road safety point of view, but also from the point of view of consumers,” said the association’s Layton Beard.<\/p>\n
Beard said that a key benefit of the shift will be the alleviation of pressure on the country’s Driving Licence Testing Centres (DLTCs), with fewer queues and the opportunity to relieve the massive licence backlog that has accumulated in the last few years.<\/p>\n
A 5-year eye test\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n While Beard said that a 10-year system would not diminish the ‘quality’ of the licence card, there are possible safety concerns about introducing a 10-year system.<\/p>\n A provided example is a 70-year old pensioner who might have diminished driving capabilities by the time they turn 80. To combat these concerns, Beard said the AA is pushing for the introduction of a five-year eye test which would go hand-in-hand with the move to a 10-year system.<\/p>\n “This is something that we have always felt necessary and can be conducted by an independent optometrist and submitted electronically,” he said.<\/p>\n Another possible concern is revenue collection, with the government losing out on licence fee collections by doubling the current period to 10-years.<\/p>\n Beard said that the income stream shouldn’t be too severely impacted and that at some point the cycle will catch up with itself as people still come in to renew throughout the year.<\/p>\n Transport minister Fikile Mbalula says a team at the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) will compile a report on this proposal in the coming months, with a focus on how extending licences to 10 years could impact safety and revenue.<\/p>\n In response to questions from BusinessTech, the RTMC said that the issue of driver licence extensions does not fall under its ambit and that the report would have to be compiled by the Department of Transport.<\/p>\n
\n