In all countries of the world, be it developed, developing or
underdeveloped, driving goes beyond just putting cars on the road.
No
country allows one drive without being issued a driving licence (which
signifies the approval of a driver’s ability to drive on the road).
It is expected that the holder of a driving licence would have
undergone a series of training, such as proper driving skills, acquired
basic knowledge of road signs, adequate knowledge of traffic rules and
regulations, understanding of owner manual requirements and proper eye
test among others.
According to Wikipedia, a driving licence is an official document
permitting a specific individual to operate one or more types of
motorised vehicles, such as a motorcycle, car, truck, or bus on a public
road. In some countries, the driving licence goes beyond the above, as
countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and
the United States, have no national identification cards. As many people
have driving licences, they are often accepted as de facto proof of
identity.
Driving licence is a legal document that serves as a proof that an
individual is allowed to drive motorised vehicles on a public road, and
helps to reduce the burden of accidents and injuries, because it ensures
that you have been trained well to drive in the public area.
Like every other country, Nigeria is not different in the above
premise. As the relevant traffic regulation, the National Road Traffic
Regulations 2012, Regulations 45(2), 52(1) and (2), 50(1) and 45(3)(e),
provide that an applicant for the driving licence should be 18 years and
above, be physically and mentally fit, pass a driving test and pay the
prescribed fee.
However, the law also makes special provision for age limit of
applicants for commercial or professional driving licence (not below the
age of 26-Regulation 45(4)). After this, such an applicant will then
qualify for a licence valid for three years. However, in the face of the
spate of road crashes in the country and the need to conceptualise new
ideas in keeping within global best practice, the corps, through the
driving school standardisation programme made it mandatory for fresh
applicants to attend a certified and approved driving school.
Specifically, the National Road Traffic Regulations 2004 mandates
all learner drivers to attend a certified and approved driving school as
a prerequisite to obtaining a fresh driving licence.
In aligning with this, the Lagos State Motor Vehicle Administration
Agency went a step further to break the federal monopoly to make
issuance and collection of driving licence easier and easily accessible
to the motoring public in state by creating a platform with the Federal
Road Safety Corps and the Vehicle Inspection Service.
The tripartite arrangement works in such a way that the MVAA is the
first and last point of call for all new applicants and renewals.
Applicants attend training at any accredited driving school; the driving
school presents training records to the MVAA where applicants will fill
the driving licence application/LASG P1 form. Applicants make payment
for three years or for five years at any designated bank.
The MVAA confirms payment and refers applicant to the Vehicle
Inspection Service for vision and driving test. Physical photo capture
and biometrics are then done at any Federal Road Safety Corps office.
Driving licence can be obtained in any of the 98 MVAA stations located
across the five divisions of Lagos State in collaboration with FRSC.
For a state like Lagos with such a high vehicular movement,
innovations keep coming up to overcome the daunting challenges. Finally,
cooperation of citizens is expected in order to have a seamless process
in all that we do. Citizens are advised to walk into any of the MVAA
stations closest to them.
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Written by: Mrs. Ibironke Famakinwa, Public Affairs Department, Lagos State Motor Vehicle Administration Agency.
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