Driver's license easy to get in South Africa
By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 1993-12-05
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This article originally appeared in Volume 3, Number 4 of Driver/Education, in December 1993.
In South Africa, a driver's licence isn't difficult to obtain. No formal training is required and few drivers take any. A learner's permit can be obtained at age 17 on completion of a knowledge test. A full driver's licence can be obtained at age 18 by passing a road test. No waiting period is required between the learner's permit and the road test once the applicant is 18 years old.
Training is offered by several groups. Private driving schools, under the auspices of the South African Institute of Driving instructors, cater to the individual learner driver. Groups such as the Institute of Advanced Motorists, BMW of South Africa, and the AA Foundation provide more advanced training.
The School Driver Education Program (SDEP), which provides theory as well as behind-the-wheel training, was introduced at a Capetown high school in 1984. Since then it has escalated into a national program offered at almost 700 schools throughout the republic. (See another Drivers.com article entitled" South Africa takes steps to combat fatalities".)
The rapid growth in SDEPs was spurred by growth in traffic, a potent mix of third and first world road users, and huge problems caused by unschooled drivers entering the traffic system. Many of the new drivers entered with little knowledge about their vehicles or the conventions and procedures that provide for an orderly flow of traffic. The SDEPs are aimed at diffusing more sophisticated traffic and driving knowledge through the road user population.
"We are ensuring a generation of safer road users who will pass on their abilities," says safety researcher Pieter Venter of Potchefstroom Christian University's Centre for Education in Traffic Safety, which acts as a research and training resource for the school programs.
Curriculum
Currently SDEPs provide 17 hours of classroom education and six hours or 100 km behind-the-wheel instruction. The curriculum includes a basic introduction that alerts pupils to factors such as the road-worthiness of the car, stopping distances, and basic vehicle control. The behind-the-wheel time covers motoring techniques such as gear changing and following distances. Driving theory includes the IPDE decision-making system, and the influence of factors such as alcohol, drugs and emotions.
The programs are offered after school hours (7:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.) but Venter
hopes they will soon be recognized as a regular part of the school curriculum
and that the theory portion will be included in the school day. 
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