Government proves 8-year driver’s licences are better for South Africa – Ignores own research

A research report commissioned by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) in 2022 titled Driving Licence Card Validity Period Review found that extending the country’s driver’s licence validity period to eight years would likely have several benefits over and above the existing five-year renewal period.

Instead of implementing the longer renewal window, the RTMC and the Department of Transport (DoT) instead buried the findings and insisted that five years is the ideal length.

The reasons for this vary, from claiming that the material from which the cards are made only lasts five years, to stating that communicable and other diseases are fervent causes of car accidents and drivers must therefore be subjected to regular health checkups to ensure that they are still fit to be in control of a vehicle.

Not without challenges from the RTMC, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) eventually got a hold of the research report through the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), which proposed increasing the driving licence card validity for light vehicles to eight years and keeping that of heavy vehicles at five years.

“The average driving licence card validity period of almost 10 years in more developed countries, with much better road safety ratios, highly motivate and validates a longer renewal period in line with international best practice,” the report read.

The research analysed card renewals in 40 countries, 20 with a road safety ratio – measured according to deaths per 100,000 citizens – better than South Africa and 20 with a worse record.

Sweden was the safest country under review at 2.7 deaths per 100,000 residents, and Zimbabwe the worst at 34.7 deaths. South Africa fell closer to the latter at 25.9 deaths.

Those countries with a better safety record had cards with an average validity period of 9.3 years while those with a worse record averaged 4.4 years.

However, the report noted that many of the countries with poor safety records used paper-based licences which would explain the lower validity periods.

In contrast, South African licence cards are made of polycarbonate which is far more durable and offers much better security against potential fraud or forgery.

Touching on the top of health assessments, the “primary argument” to retain the current validity period is that drivers must have an eye test done every five years to verify visual fitness to renew their cards, said the report.

“Routine eye testing during a person’s lifetime is recommended, yet almost three-quarters of South Africans sampled were not utilizing eye care services,” said the report.

“It is imperative to strengthen current public health measures (including eye health promotion programs) to address the alarmingly low uptake of eye care services as well as the disparities in eye care utilization in South Africa.”

Based on these findings, the report recommended further research on best practices regarding the age of drivers and eye tests, South African socio and economic factors affecting road safety, and the possibility of digital licences.

It conceded that “blindly assuming international practice without critically contrasting South Africa’s context with these countries would be potentially damaging to the driving licence system and road safety in the country.”

RTMC DLTC Eco Park

Misleading the public

Outa contends that the above findings supplied enough evidence to justify lengthening the country’s driver’s licence validity period to eight years, and that it was purposefully ignored by the RTMC for reasons kept secret from the public.

“The RTMC has ignored the research it conducted in 2022 which recommended extending the validity of driving licence cards, and justified this by referring to research which it does not appear to have,” said Outa Executive Director Stefanie Fick.

In July 2024, Outa asked both the RTMC and the DoT for the two reports they used to make a decision on whether or not to extend the driving licence validity period. The request was made through the PAIA.

The RTMC initially refused to hand over the first report, which was the Driving Licence Card Validity Period Review written by consultants Zutari in May 2022. It later surrendered and gave Outa the document.

After examining the report, Outa found that it recommended extending the card validity period for drivers of light vehicles to eight years.

However, Fick said that the RTMC and DoT turned a blind eye to these suggestions.

The second report requested was the research on which the RTMC based its statement that the card validity period could not be extended as a number of accidents were related to communicable and other diseases.

“On 31 July, in response to the PAIA requests, the RTMC told Outa it would not hand over this second research report, but the same day the Department of Transport informed Outa that no such report exists,” said Fick.

The RTMC’s response to Outa read: “The research conducted by the Corporation on the referred to subject herein falls within the ongoing research relating to the viability of extension of the 5-year driver’s license card validity period and access to this research consequently therefore stands to be refused in terms of Section 43(2) of PAIA.”

Section 43(2) allows a refusal of access to information by the public if there are confidentiality concerns, including those relating to the subject of research.

In contrast, the DoT told Outa that it has “taken reasonable steps to find a copy of the alleged research and for that reason, it cannot be found thus it does not exist.” It also provided an affidavit from a deputy director-general confirming this.

Outa thus contends that the RTMC is deliberately obfuscating the real reason it is refusing to extend the driver’s licence card validity period.

“Outa now questions the motives of the RTMC, as the ultimate decision to extend the validity period lies with the Minister of Transport, who in turn should not be influenced by an entity with vested financial interests in the decision,” said Fick.

“Outa is concerned that the refusal to extend the card validity period is linked to the tender to buy a new card printing machine and the money to be made from reprinting cards every five years.”

This tender is managed by another DoT entity, the Driving Licence Card Account, which has so far failed to procure the promised new machine.

“Outa believes that driving licences are essential tools and should be available through a fair, legally appropriate, and well-managed system,” said Fick.

“Instead, South Africa has a system managed by the RTMC that appears to be riddled with maladministration, coupled with an unacceptable poor record of road safety.”

Outa likens this to a “national crisis” which government to date has failed to address adequately.

“We find the reasons [not to extend the validity period] advanced by the RTMC to be ludicrous and lacking in any factual basis,” said Fick.

“Unless state-owned entities like the RTMC realise that civil society organisations are not the enemy but wish to work with government to effect positive change, nothing will change. OUTA strongly believes that the only way to effect significant change is for civil society organisations and state-owned institutions to engage meaningfully and collaborate in finding solutions to the concerns.”

On 10 July 2024, Outa wrote to the newly appointed Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, requesting engagement to discuss the extension and other related issues, however, no response has been received yet, said Fick.