The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has effected implementation of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act number eight of 2022 which will help improve service delivery and curb fatalities on the roads.
The provisions of the Act will be implemented immediately, while others will be implemented progressively to allow for appropriate transition mechanisms to be put in place.
RTSA Acting Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Alinani Msisya said the Amendment comes in a wake of long consultative processes over the last years and shall be read as one with the Road Traffic Act number 11 of 2002.
Mr Msiya said government has seen fit to amend the Road Traffic Act 2002 in order to improve service delivery to the public and to help curb road traffic crashes and fatalities.
“The Road Traffic (Amendment) Act number eight of 2022 seeks to enhance the country’s road safety profile, inculcate values of good driver behavior, enhance service delivery to Zambians, enhance revenue streams for government and reduce lawlessness on Zambian roads,” he said.
Mr Msisya said some of the provisions in the Act were the revision of the age at which a taxi driver can obtain a Public Service Vehicle License which was from 25 years to 20 years.
He said this provision addressed concerns from most taxi drivers that 25-years to obtain a PSV Licence was too high and was pushing youths out of employment.
“Other provisions are introduction of Prohibitory Driving Licence valid for a period of one year before regular license is issued, introduction of Demerit Point System to help improve road user behavior, Registration of Motor vehicles at the port of entry to address the problem relating to the increase in the number of unregistered vehicles on the Zambian roads, Vehicle licensing to help address challenges of long queues at RTSA, Licensing of goods vehicles, provisions to regulate online car hailing and allowable speed limit tolerances on public roads,” he said
