Equipment to be acquired for e-driving tests in Punjab

Systems to be installed at three licence issuing centres

LAHORE:

The Punjab traffic police have decided to procure equipment to conduct e-tests for issuing driving licences in the provincial capital.

 An amount of Rs1.3 million will be spent for installing the equipment in the Arfa, Manawan and Bahria centres.

 The equipment to be procured include eight networking devices, three IP CCTV cameras, 40 LEDs and public address system along with computer tables and chairs, information board, benches and software upgrade.

 The City Traffic Police Lahore (CTPL) had proposed in 2016 shifting to the electronic driving test from the manual system. The goal, however, is yet to be achieved.

 The move is part of efforts in Punjab to modernise the information system and introduce an intelligent electronic traffic management system.

 In 2017, a high level meeting was held to devise a road map for the purpose.

Then Punjab DIG traffic Farooq Mazhar had claimed that the system would be at par with the standards of developed countries. Under the system, online record of violations of laws by a driver would be maintained.

 An electronic device will calculate penalty points and issue violation tickets. Every violation will have certain point and the authorities may suspend a driving licence for three months to two years.

Read more: Delay in computerised number plates irks public

 Mazhar had explained that in case a violator would not pay the fine, he would not be able to get his documents updated.

 Every violation ticket carries the record of previous violation points which can also be updated online.

 A violator, on repeated suspension of licence, will be required to appear for a driving test and pay the fee again.

At this stage, attending classes of driving training and traffic rules awareness will be mandatory. “The department sent a proposed draft to the law department for amendments to traffic police rules. The draft will be presented in the next cabinet committee meeting,” he had said.

 Under the new system, if a death occurs during a road accident because of a traffic rule violation and police find the violator guilty during investigation, his or her licence will remain suspended for two years even if the violator reaches an agreement of reconciliation with the aggrieved family.

Besides e-challanning, edriving test and e-payment were also part of the plan.

 However, the traffic police have not been successful in adopting the technology completely. There has been some progress in e-challanning and e-payment.

 However, there is much left for the traffic management system to be fully digitalised. So far, only the National Highways and Motorways Police (NH&MP) has succeeded in bringing into use electronic test simulators for e-driving tests.