Thursday, March 28, 2024

How motorists’ new digital driving licences will work

Kenyan motorists are set to switch to digital licences later this month.

According to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), 100,000 of the smart cards have been made in readiness for distribution to motorists.

The NTSA has also acquired 500 card readers to decode user information and traffic offences history. The information will be recorded in a chip that is embedded in the plastic card.

“The licences will bear details of the holders, including their photos. The chip stores driving histories and serves as a payment wallet connected to the Judiciary,” NTSA’s head of ICT, Fernando Wangila says.

The card comes loaded with points to be deducted every time a motorist commits a traffic offence. Repeat offenders who will have exhausted their points will permanently lose their licences, have them confiscated temporarily, pay spot fines or be made to attend refresher driving classes.

The points system, widely used in the West to tame drivers, will see each motorist’s card loaded with 20 points that are to be deducted progressively at a rate proportional to the offence committed.

Misdemeanours like overlapping will see drivers lose a single point from their accounts over and above getting fined. A driver will have a week or so to recover this “lost” point if he or she doesn’t commit other offences.

Serious offences like drunk driving and speeding will result in deductions of more than 10 points, fines and a raft of other disciplinary measures that could see one lose their licence for life. The NTSA will also share the information on rogue drivers with insurance firms, a move that could see such drivers’ premiums rise as they will be deemed to be risky clients.

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