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By Jason Woosey, Staff Reporter 
12h ago
JOHANNESBURG – Authorities should put a moratorium on fines for motorists with expired driver’s licenses as a matter of urgency, says the Automobile Association, adding that steps must also be taken to fix the current renewal process, which is clearly in “broken”.
The association says it is very concerned that the already very limited police are setting up barricades to catch motorists who drive with expired license cards and vehicle discs. Surely they should be aware of the difficulties that motorists face in renewing these documents.
“The current system was broken even before the shutdown began. Now, with thousands of anxious drivers struggling to renew their driver’s license cards for a variety of reasons, the failures of the system are being exposed even more, ”said the AA.
“And, what is more worrying, is that it seems that the authorities do not recognize this, nor any attempt to help the public. We must be honest and admit that current processes are simply chaotic, “added the association.
The AA also accuses the authorities of focusing on soft targets, while the most serious violations are not addressed.
“It is an absurd situation where motorists cannot renew their discs or cards, and then they are arrested and fined for not having done so,” said the AA.
“It is no news to anyone that the online reservation system is not functional, that the Driver’s License Test Centers (DLTC) are open erratically and with little staff, and that the online networks in the DLTCs are too are down, all of which makes it impossible for drivers to renew their cards.
“The only people who seem not to recognize these problems are the authorities and it is the motorists who ultimately suffer.”
The Association believes that the vast majority of South African motorists really want to stay legally on the road and therefore go to great lengths to renew their driver’s licenses. But ask, what should drivers who depend on their vehicles for income do if they can’t renew these discs and cards?
“Law-abiding citizens without alternatives must continue to use their vehicles to work and are then punished for a problem that they did not cause, by the same authorities that did it,” the association said.
He also suggested that outside agents should be given the green light to renew driver’s license cards to ease some of the strain on the system.
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