Tired of queueing every five years to renew your driving licence? Apparently the state is tired of this administrative nightmare too.
Now there’s a plan underway to make driving licences valid for 10 years instead.
Another intention is to address arguments about breathalysers, and whether speed traps and breathalysers are properly calibrated.
The department of transport has gazetted an amendment to the National Road Traffic Regulations.
One section reads that “a driving licence card shall expire 10 years from the date on which it has been ordered from the Card Production Facility”. For those who apply for a new card on or before the expiry date of their existing card, the new card will expire 10 years after the expiry date of the card being replaced.
The existing regulations allow five-year cards, and drivers have to queue at government offices every five years for replacements. This has led to complaints about the time-consuming process.
The amendment does not apply to licence cards already issued.
The changes were gazetted on Friday, with a four-week deadline for public comment.
The amendment also makes it easier for immigrants who have driving licences from other countries. The existing law allows immigrants to use their licences from other countries for up to one year after getting permanent residence status. The amendment will extend this to 10 years.
It includes a requirement to make railway level crossings safer, requiring that crossings comply with the South African National Standard on railway safety management.
Breathalyser requirements are up for change, with the existing list of specifically approved breathalysers to be replaced with a requirement that this equipment must comply with the SANS on evidential breath analysers.
MAKING PROSECUTIONS EASIER
There is also a provision to make it easier to prosecute offenders. A new section states that if it is necessary to prove in a prosecution that “any equipment used for road traffic law enforcement purposes was calibrated or verified to establish the accuracy and traceability”, then the “mere production” of a certificate from the South African National Accreditation System will be sufficient. - The Star