MEDIA STATEMENT

NEW TECHNOLOGY TO FAST TRACK DRIVING LICENCE APPLICATIONS

Members of the motoring public will in the near future no longer have to take fingerprints and produce photographs when converting or applying for the credit card format driving licence. This follows the Department of Transport's initiative to introduce a stand alone examining unit, dubbed the Life Scanning Unit.

The unit, which captures fingerprints and photographs electronically, is being piloted at the Mkondeni Licensing Centre just outside Pietermaritzburg. It also streamlines paperless credit card format applications and eye test processes.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport S'bu Ndebele has hailed the initiative a success as it will help eradicate crime and corruption. "The fingerprint verification standards of the unit are much higher than previously and this will lead to improved integrity as the prints are being taken electronically by means of a biometrics scanner," Ndebele said.

Built on tables about the size of learners licence examination tables, the unit occupies about eight square metres of space as the applicant and examiner sit opposite each other to conduct the test. The application form is on screen in this paperless environment.

In order to aid enforcement and improved identification, the full names of the licence holder will in future, appear on the card and a space of up to 26 characters is provided for.

KZN Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) Director John Schnell said that the unit would improve card security in that the laminate would be overprinted and the edges milled and imprinted with the letters ZA. "The paper on which the licence particulars are printed will be further enhanced with micro fibres which are ultra-violet sensitive and the thumb print will be encrypted. This means that transactions are quality controlled and that no further rejection for fingerprints will take place in the future", said Schnell.

The unit also has a built-in camera with flash which conveys a digital image of the applicant along with the fingerprints to the card production facility. The capturing of digital images means that the applicant will no longer have to produce photographs and this will in turn, further reduce rejections and costs. Each examining suite requires a smoothed power point.

For further information, enquiries and interviews contact John Schnell on 083 6444 057.

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