malvernmugadzikwa
Tendai Chara
THE new Zimbabwe driver’s licence system introduced on June 19 this year has come with several reforms, some of which have implications on both licensed and aspiring drivers.
The interventions are part of efforts to produce responsible drivers and reduce road carnage.
Before the new regulations, for example, most prospective drivers opted for the Class 2 driver’s licence, which was for heavy vehicles, because it automatically granted the holder the right to drive small vehicles under Class 4.
However, the driver would have skipped crucial, but challenging driving lessons like the three-point turn and parallel parking, which are not part of heavy vehicle testing.
“The truth of the matter is that most prospective drivers struggle when it comes to parallel parking and the three-point turn. To avoid these, prospective drivers were opting for the former Class 2 licence,” says Mr Fradreck Maguramhinga, the president of the Zimbabwe Union of Drivers and Conductors (ZUDAC).
Demand for the Class 2 licence was also being fuelled by overseas employment opportunities for local drivers.
But heavy vehicle licences are now categorised differently, depending on truck weights, ranging from 3 500 kilogrammes to 56 tonnes.
The new regulations also make it mandatory for public transport drivers to be aged above 25. The errant ones were, among other things, allegedly advising their students to go for the then Class 2 licences, even when the prospective drivers were seeking to drive light vehicles.
“We have noted with concern the fraud, unprofessional and selfish acts being practised by some driving schools, where they undercharge driving lessons and then avoid teaching learners properly.
“We condemn this selfish act, as this will only worsen road carnage on our roads, since these students are not taught all the areas of driving. Some individuals concentrate on amassing wealth while sacrificing road users’ lives,” reads a post on the association’s social media handle.
Mr Farai Chibi, an instructor, said driving schools were partly to blame for the production of half-baked drivers.
With the new system, professional drivers will now be progressively certified, unlike in the past.
Their permits will be renewable after two years and the drivers will be required to undergo eye tests, where their vision and ability to focus on objects and discern them will be assessed.
Mental stability will also be assessed.
Benefit
The new scannable plastic driver’s licence is fully compliant with Southern African Development Community (SADC); Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); and East African Community (EAC) standards.
The new licence, with 13 categories, allows local holders to drive in 25 African countries.
The document will also help develop an electronic database of all licensed drivers in the country, which will be linked to relevant stakeholders and enforcement agencies.
It will also conform to the requirements of the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic; the International Organisation for Standardisation; and the International Electrotechnical Commission.
Those who passed the Zimbabwe driving test at the Vehicle Inspection Department depots countrywide were, in the past, issued with a temporary paper licence, before obtaining the metal one a few months later.
However, the new plastic licences will be issued within seven working days after the applicant has either passed or applied for it.
The metal disc remains in use, but Government will announce the phase-out date in future.
Below are excerpts from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development clarifying to The Sunday Mail Society some of the issues pertaining to the new driver’s licence system.
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Q: What strategy will be used to convert metal licence holders?
A: Drivers who are already in possession of a driver’s licence will be converted as per new codes. Automatically, these will be based on the old system, where an individual with a Class 2 driver’s licence can drive a 56-tonne articulated truck. For those new and aspiring drivers, these will be tested specifically for the vehicles they intend to drive. Categories or codes will be based on gross vehicle mass (GVM), as opposed to net vehicle mass (NVM).
Basically, this means the classes that we currently have are going to be converted to 13 codes. In the conversion, drivers are not going back for actual road tests but, rather, for upgrading of biometrics and medical tests, including ones on eyes, after every five years.
Q: According to the new system, one ought to have a cumulative 10 years of driving experience before one can become a public transport driver. Does this mean we will not have public transport drivers below 26 years of age, and does this imply youthful drivers were responsible for the road carnage involving public transport?
A: Not necessarily. An individual with the B code, formerly Class 4, and is 18 years old and above, can drive a C1 category vehicle after a year. It is important to note that the year one manages to acquire a Class B driver’s licence determines the year they can acquire or are eligible for Class C. The five-year experience is still required regardless of the age of the driver.
However, to proceed to the Class C category, they have to wait for five years. The age issue is prescribed in the Road Traffic Act 13:11, Section 7 (1) (C). The age issue is a SADC, COMESA, EAC and the Tripartite Transport and Transit Facilitation Programme requirement, which Zimbabwe has to comply with as a member.
Q: Take us through what happens after the expiry of a licence.
A: At the expiry of a driver’s licence, the holder is required to apply for a renewal. The renewal process does not entail a practical driving test.
The applicant will be required to undergo a physical medical examination, including vision test, and upgrading of biometrics. The objective is to ensure the holder is still physically, mentally and visually fit so that the ability to drive is not compromised. Zimbabwe is simply adopting SADC standards and is not doing this alone.
Professional driver’s permit categories
◆ Code G: For goods-carrying vehicles with a GVM exceeding 3 500kg. The applicable minimum age for this category is 18 years.
◆ Code P: For passenger vehicles with a seating capacity of more than eight. The applicable minimum age for this category is 25 years.
◆ Code D: For dangerous goods-carrying vehicles that transport hazardous goods. The applicable minimum age for this category is 25 years.
All professional driver’s permits will be renewable after every two years. The drivers will be required to go for an eye test to assess vision and the ability to focus on objects and discern them.
Similarly, the driver’s biometrics will also be periodically updated in the system. Other drivers outside the professional drivers’ category will also undergo eye tests and updating of their biometric records after every five years.
Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter