DRIVERS LICENCE: Ogun subjects applicants to computer-based test

By OLALEKAN AYENI – In its bid to create safer road and enhance driving culture, Ogun State Vehicle Inspection Service has subjected fresh National Driver Licence applicants to cumpolsory Drivers Theory Test (DTT).

Ogun West Zonal Commander, Oluwatoyin Olugbenga, while speaking for her boss, Olugboyega Ademehin, said DTT was introduced to enhance integrity of the National Drivers licence.

She noted that the DTT initiative  was established to eliminate road crashes resulting from bad road culture and reduce high level of menace of drivers unfamiliar with highway codes.

“The project, Drivers Theory Test (DTT) was borne out of curiosity to develop concepts and means to reduce or eliminate  regular accidents experienced on gateway roads. It would further prevent and reduce road crashes among drivers,” she added.

Olugbenga stressed the need for drivers to comply with the initiative to make roads safer for drivers and commuters.

According to her, the CBT initiative is a mandatory for fresh driver licence applicants. It will enable them have adequate knowledge in reading and interpretation of highway codes and informative road signages before the issuance of license that qualified whoever behind the wheel as certifying driver.

Olugboyega noted that drivers with licences beyond six months will  undertake same procedures before new ones can be processed, but those with expired ones between one and five months need not go through the test.

She lamented as many people who often apply for licences are not really doing so for driving purposes, a step she condemned as an aberation to reason driver’s licence was instituted.

“It is discovered people apply for drivers license for identification means which is not main reason to poccess the license” licences are processed for driving purposes alone and not for mere banking systems identification and other purposes.

“The applicants were subjected to listen to already recorded audio based on the driver’s understanding languages about highway codes and how he/she is expected to behave that would guarantee the safety of other road users while behind the wheels before he/she is fully certified as qualified driver. This new driver’s license concept is to ensure every applicants are  subjected to undertake DTT before issuances of any license, The initiative has generated positive results as road traffic crashes were very minimal during and after the yuletide compared to the records of previous years,”  Engr. Olugbenga, revealed.