The Automobile Club deems the extension of the renewal of the driving license unpresentable

The issue of driver’s license renewal continues to be talked about. A few weeks ago the project was presented which aimed to postpone the process of updating the document again due to the serious problems it was generating in the municipalities and yesterday the Chamber of Deputies approved the document and l sent to become law.

The government applauded the measure and the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications himself, Juan Carlos Muñoz, said that the central reason for the decision is that “The number of people who have approached to request the renewal of licenses far exceeds the capacity of municipalities to be able to respond to all these requests. ”.

But the bill that will be law in the next few days has not been well received in all sectors, in fact, from The Automóvil Club de Chile strongly criticized the measure which extends the deadlines for renewing driving licenses, ensure that this new extension will generate negative effects on the country’s road safety.

“It is really unpresentable that to solve this bottleneck the simplest solution was used , reporting this problem without real interest in wanting to solve it definitively. Many municipalities were already coping with this oversupply with additional staff and doubling hours of service, but with this further expansion, the collapse of transit directions will continue for at least two to three years. Relaxation among citizens is encouraged so that this document is not published in time which will prove fatal over time,” commented Alberto Escobar, Mobility Manager of the Automóvil Club de Chile.

The mobility and road safety specialist added that “with this new postponement, it will be four years since the country knew the type and condition of the drivers who crisscross our streets today. Actually, These types of extensions have forced drivers who should have been taken out of circulation and who represent a danger to road safety to stay on our roads. , but this problem is not questioned by anyone. These controls are essential, because it is the only way to verify that motorists have the psychological and motor skills and competences necessary to drive.

Regarding those who may be affected by the extension, Escobar said that “it is incomprehensible that this undemocratic measure was approved, since it only helps those who renew this document . Many forget, but this type of postponement also seriously affects those who seek to obtain a driving license for the first time, and above all, for those who earn their living behind the wheel as is the case for professional drivers, and who were not included in this benefit. The chaos will be widespread, since this year there will be at least 30,000 new requests from drivers to obtain the professional license due to the entry into force of the Uber law and which will be added to the 180,000 requested annually.

Finally, the mobility manager of the Automobile Club underlined that “This is bad public policy that will have devastating effects on road safety . The seriousness of this matter has not yet been fully appreciated and many forget that the control of the license allows the state to assume its role as guarantor of the safety of Chileans. The big problem is that even in our country, people still believe that a driving license is a right, when in fact it is a privilege, the granting of which must be regularly checked in view of the high responsibility that this entails”.