Drivers kick against ‘smart’ licence

The Ghana Drivers and Car Owners Association has kicked against moves by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to introduce a new smart driving licence.
The new smart licence comes with a security embedded chip to discourage counterfeiting.
The chip will contain the driver’s information which will be linked to the new national identification system in a safe manner.
But the association says the DVLA should “refrain from trying to alter the current licensing process for drivers” or face the wrath of its members.
The association said after a careful study of the new system, it has come to the conclusion that the new licence will not only create severe inconveniences but also derail its members’ work.
“An instance is when an already-licensed driver will have to pay before he is given the digital licence by the DVLA,” a statement from the association said.
The association also argued that “under the new module, drivers who present automatic vehicles to the DVLA during the acquisition of a licence shall not be permitted to drive any manual vehicle whereas our road regulations have not made any specific biased guidelines in favour of the manual or automatic vehicles.”
“We find this move not only as a money-making venture to some self-seeking individuals but also a move that will totally subject us to police intimidation and, therefore, call on all stakeholders in the transport sector to kick against this proposal,” the statement added.