Kenya to roll out smart driving license to improve safety

NAIROBI, KENYA: Kenya plans to introduce digital driving licenses by mid next year in order to improve road safety, the road transport regulator said on Wednesday. 

National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA) Deputy Director Fernando Wangila told Xinhua in Nairobi that the government is currently finalizing the procurement stage of the infrastructure required to operate the system.

"When in place, the smart driving license will enable the government to capture the driving history of all drivers and this will improve the enforcement of traffic laws," Wangila said during the launch of Google Transit that helps people plan public transport trips more effectively.

The East African nation has 5 million licensed drivers who currently use paper based driving licenses that can be easily counterfeited. 

Wangila said that most road accidents are caused by drivers not complying with road regulations by committing offenses such as over speeding. He said the smart license will help to eliminate bribery and corruption in the transportation sector.

"The new card will also act like a bank card so that drivers will be able to pay for driving fines virtually eliminating the need for cash transactions," he said, adding that drivers will be able to renew their cards without the need for physically visiting the NTSA offices.

The road transport regulator said that digital cards will come with preloaded points and every time a driver commits a traffic offense, points will be deducted. "When the point reach a pre-set level, the driving license will be automatically suspended," he noted.

The new generation driving license will also help insurance firms determine the amount of premium drivers will pay by reviewing their driving records.