Comprehensive driver licensing: A major step towards road safety

Ghana's drivers bear a critical responsibility in the nation's efforts to enhance road safety and mitigate accidents that lead to fatalities, injuries, and financial losses. Existing driver licensing practices seem inadequate, suggesting a shift towards a more comprehensive approach that focuses on long-term driver management. A driver's license indicates basic legal compliance, but road safety demands a continuous assessment of a driver's safety record.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) manages licensing records, including renewals, upgrades, verifications, proficiency tests, and accident-related examinations. The Road Traffic Regulations outline procedures for license suspension, cancellation, and disqualification, as well as retraining. The Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) compiles crash reports, which inform training and other interventions.

However, there is no unified system that collates a driver's police traffic records, court outcomes, license sanctions, retraining history, and current authorization to operate a vehicle into a single profile.

Recent discussions have centered around a UK-style penalty points system, where drivers receive 20 points annually, deduct points for offenses, and may undergo retraining if points are exhausted, pending parliamentary approval. This approach is a positive step, but it falls short of the proposed integrated, multi-agency driver profile.

A demerit points system converts a driver's history of unsafe behavior into a quantifiable score. Drivers begin each period with a fixed number of points, and violations result in point deductions based on severity. Serious offenses, such as drink-driving, can lead to substantial penalties, including automatic suspension. Once a driver reaches a predetermined threshold, graduated measures ranging from warnings and retraining to suspension and eventual license revocation may be imposed. Points may also expire after a period of safe driving, incentivizing improved behavior.

The need for a national driver safety profile is evident, as repeated unsafe behavior often reveals itself more clearly than a single incident. A driver may receive multiple cautions, fines, convictions, suspensions, retraining orders, or face disciplinary action from employers. However, if each record remains isolated, the pattern may go unnoticed until a severe accident occurs.

Rather than creating a public blacklist, Ghana should develop a secure National Driver Safety Profile that encompasses all categories of licensed drivers, including private motorists, commercial drivers, motorcyclists, school-bus operators, institutional drivers, tanker operators, and other heavy-vehicle operators.

The profile should include verified information on license validity and class, serious convictions, active suspensions, retraining records, and completion of defensive driving courses. It should also acknowledge responsible behavior, such as sustained periods without offenses, advanced training, and safe fleet performance. The aim should be multifaceted, focusing not only on punishment but also on lifelong development, accountability, and prevention.

Ghana can draw valuable insights from international practices. The United Kingdom allows drivers to view their records and share limited information through time-limited codes. New South Wales in Australia provides online access to demerit points and offense records. Singapore's Driver Improvement Points System employs demerit points, suspensions, and structured courses to rehabilitate errant drivers, with plans to tighten the system further due to rising road fatalities.

Ghana need not replicate any specific system but can adopt shared principles such as integrated records, graduated intervention, and controlled access. Technological solutions can facilitate the implementation of such a system, allowing license scans for long journeys, roadside checks, or assignments of specific vehicle routes. The information shared with passengers and the public should be limited to essential data, such as the driver's valid license and authorization to operate the vehicle class.

Ensuring data protection and accountability is paramount. Driver records must be accurate and safeguarded under Ghana's data-protection framework. Access to the full profile should be restricted to authorized personnel, with role-based access and audit trails. Drivers should have the right to view and rectify their records, subject to legal safeguards.

This system should not be used for arbitrary discrimination or public shaming, but rather to identify risk early, promote responsible driving, and enhance overall road safety.