Tens of thousands of Kenyan drivers are set to lose their driving licences once the Government effects the mandatory re-testing starting next year. The Government also plans to outsource motor vehicle inspection to reputable garages to be licensed under strict conditions. These are some of the measures being mooted under the watch of Transport Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau. The re-testing move forms part of new rules designed to make driving the privilege of those who comply with traffic rules. The first to lose this privilege will be some 25,000 PSV drivers who will be barred from driving under the new rules to be effected in June. Those who pass the driving tests will be issued with new smart driving licences that will dramatically change the way Kenyans drive, deal a blow to careless driving, and stem the rising tide of road carnage. The tests will be conducted by the National Youth Service and other reputable institutions. The Government plans to review the Traffic Act by March to accommodate the new measures, says National Transportation and Safety Authority (NTSA) Chairman Lee Kinyanjui. The rules are expected to claim other casualties as well: all motorists holding driving licences may be required to take fresh driving tests. This is expected to net those who secured their licences under dubious circumstances, and rogue drivers. Under the new system, driver habits information will be shared with the insurance industry. Thousands of reckless drivers with growing number of accidents will have to pay higher premiums, insurance experts say. When fully rolled out, the new system will introduce a penalty system for drivers while multiple offenders risk having their licences suspended altogether. NTSA and stakeholders are currently re-evaluating bidders of a new Transport Integrated Management System (Tims) that will link police, KRA, the justice system and the insurance industry. This will form a bulwark for the new revolutionary system. Kinyanjui says the initial phase of the new system will initially focus on data collection and data mining of drivers and motor vehicle registration. “Our initial focus will be PSVs. We want all drivers to be re-tested and issued with the smart driver licence.” The new licence will look a lot like the new generation national ID, with driver information, age, address and a bar code. The bar code, when swiped on tablets to be issued to traffic officers, will display all information on the driver as well as information drawn from the vehicle registration from KRA. To escape the harsh sanctions, all motorists will strive to keep a clean driver’s licence. Drivers with continuous violations will find the going tough and every citation will build towards a penalty system that will have a maximum number of points after which the licence is either suspended or the driver has to go back to driving school. Police, KRA, Judiciary and the insurance industry will work as a team when the new system is fully rolled out. They will share information on driver behaviour and accidents. Biometric registration will be roped in for PSV and truck drivers to avoid the cartel where drivers obtain different fake driving licences to beat the system. Kinyanjui says amendments to the Traffic Act will empower police to issue on the spot fines, an expansion of the current mobile traffic courts. In the future, matatu and bus owners operating in urban centres will be curtailed to drive for a maximum of and can only return to drive after a four-hour rest. A driver log will be enforced showing driving hours that must be shown to a police officer.
Posted on: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 07:16:12 +0000
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