South African government putting revenue ahead of road safety

[arcanum]

The Natis / eNatis site is down since at least yesterday. Unable to make bookings / view application status. Not sure if this is linked to the MS issue or if it is just me... Would have helped if the site works....

 

[dualmeister]

that never expires

OK but when a 98 year old Grannie drives into you then don't complain

 

[Swa]

OK but when a 98 year old Grannie drives into you then don't complain

But how does the current system solve this? All the grannie now has to do is go with glasses and they're quite lenient there as well.

 

[FiestaST]

Department of Transport slammed for refusing to extend validity of driving licence cards

Driving licence cards are often valid for 10 years or more in other countries, but for the foreseeable future South Africans will still have to renew theirs every five years.

This is in spite of former Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula previously indicating that the validity period for South African driving licences could be extended to eight years.

This came after the Minister ordered the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to conduct a study into the validity period, back in February 2022, when huge licence card backlogs existed due to the national card printing machine being out of order for an extended period.

However current Transport Minister Sindiswa Chikunga has since confirmed that the current five-year validity would remain in place.

Sindiswa told BusinessTech that this decision was based on health concerns, particularly the eye tests which determine whether a driver’s vision has deteriorated, necessitating a restriction on a person’s licence.

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry-news/department-of-transport-slammed-for-refusing-to-extend-validity-of-driving-licence-cards-ea7817af-b67e-4377-8f3d-5c19204a8804

 

[AndVD]

Why South Africa should say goodbye to driver's licence cards and car discs

South Africa should scrap the driving licence card and replace it with a digital-only permit that never expires.

That is the view of Rob Handfield-Jones, road safety expert and managing director of driving skills company Driving.co.za.

Before 1998 we did not have thousands if not millions of drivers licences issued to drivers without the prescribed tests. Once a licence is "bought" it can be renewed. Rather retest drivers and make certain that they are really qualified to drive on the road.

 

[pinkscorpio68]

You'll find the whole department at KFC...

 

[Randomwasavailable]

Why did the number of fatalities double? Simple. The previously impoverished majority of our population were allowed to join the economically wealthy masses and could suddenly afford cars.

In 1998, there were approximately 5.5 million registered vehicles on South Africa's roads. By 2020, this number had grown to about 12.7 million registered vehicles.

More cars……exponentially more car crashes.

The fatalities should be expressed as per registered vehicles, and perhaps licensed drivers as well. Otherwise, it's simply numbers without meaning.

 

[porchrat]

Department of Transport slammed for refusing to extend validity of driving licence cards

Driving licence cards are often valid for 10 years or more in other countries, but for the foreseeable future South Africans will still have to renew theirs every five years.

This is in spite of former Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula previously indicating that the validity period for South African driving licences could be extended to eight years.

This came after the Minister ordered the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to conduct a study into the validity period, back in February 2022, when huge licence card backlogs existed due to the national card printing machine being out of order for an extended period.

However current Transport Minister Sindiswa Chikunga has since confirmed that the current five-year validity would remain in place.

Sindiswa told BusinessTech that this decision was based on health concerns, particularly the eye tests which determine whether a driver’s vision has deteriorated, necessitating a restriction on a person’s licence.

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry-news/department-of-transport-slammed-for-refusing-to-extend-validity-of-driving-licence-cards-ea7817af-b67e-4377-8f3d-5c19204a8804

In many countries they never expire. Making people renew them without a test of some sort is asinine. It's very obviously just a way to keep people employed and get a little revenue through the door.