New licences for motorists

Finally!

The era of driver’s licences in the form of booklets, regarded as a residue of this country’s colonial past, is no more.{{more}}

Beginning last week Friday, August 8th, Vincentian drivers are being issued modern driver’s licences, fitted with over one dozen identity and security features. Drivers will, therefore, no longer suffer the series of problems that were once associated with the old licence, which consisted of a booklet containing a photograph and receipts, and which was usually questioned by authorities, especially overseas.

Comptroller of Inland Revenue, Kelvin Pompey, in introducing the new licence, called the moment historic and long over due.

Pompey claims that the new card will ease the pain felt when Vincentians attempted to use the old booklet.

“On a regular basis, the department is bombarded with requests from licensing authorities abroad seeking to verify the authenticity of a driver’s licence presented by a Vincentian national. Thankfully, these will be problems of the past.”

According to Pompey, the card was designed and developed from scratch by the department’s Information Technology staff, headed by Moseley Walker, who was congratulated for the effort.

The card, which can now be used as identification when conducting transactions, must be carried by drivers at all times, or face a possible fine.

Licences can be available in one, three or five year durations, at $75, $200 or $300, respectively.

Persons with birthdays in August can now obtain the new licenses; persons having birthdates in the other months can renew when the time is due, and persons who had birthdates between June 1st 2008 and the present can also renew their licenses this year.

Persons wishing to renew must produce their national identification card or passport.

Some of the features found on the new driver’s licence include the holder’s photograph, name and address, as well as national identification number, licence class and the coat of arms.

The security features on the card are intended to prevent its illegal duplication.

Pompey indicated that drivers in the Grenadines will have access to the new cards in the near future.

The comptroller regards the new driver’s licence card as another demonstration of his department’s commitment to the ongoing thrust towards modernizing procedures.

“We at the Inland Revenue Department pride ourselves as being an innovative and visionary department. (We) have already modernized and streamlined our motor vehicle licensing procedures, thus eliminating to a large extent the stress and tears that were normally associated with renewing a motor vehicle licence at the end of the year.”(JJ)