Transport authorities placed blame on driving schools and vehicle inspection centres for a recent surge in traffic accidents. This comes as traffic penalties have doubled to over 1.1 billion Br in the past nine months. Officials attributed the revenue rise to stricter enforcement measures, including heightened supervision and a comprehensive digitisation of procedures. According to a performance report presented by the Road Safety & Insurance Fund Service to Parliament last week, nearly two million drivers were penalised for over nine million traffic violations.

Jemal Abaso, CEO of the Service, accused driving schools and technical inspectors of issuing driving permits without proper training and using equipment that was not calibrated accurately. He argued this contributed to poor driving habits and the high number of traffic accidents.

"They're producing killers," he boldly remarked.

Traffic accidents showed a positive trend, decreasing by around 532 in the first six months to 23,280 incidents, compared to last year. Property damages also declined by a third to around 1.06 billion Br. However, there was a 54pc increase in third-party insurance claims paid on property damage, reaching 689 million Br. Fatalities followed a similar downward trend, decreasing by 514 to around 1,358.

The CEO attributed the positive notes to a crackdown on driving schools and inspection centres. However, parliamentarians raised concerns about the reliability of the data collected at the national level, citing a three-month delay in the report. To emphasize the stricter enforcement measures, Jemal recalled the recent cancellation of permits for 10 driving schools (eight in Oromia and two in Benishangul-Gumuz regional states) and two technical inspection centres.

"Licenses are sold at some of these institutions," he said.

Jemal highlighted the upcoming launch of a national road accident data management system in collaboration with Ethio telecom. He said the system is expected to improve data quality and ensure timely reporting, providing a clearer picture of road safety.

The Standing Committee on Urban Infrastructure & Transport Affairs raised concerns about driving license issuance, citing reports of bribery for inadequately trained students. Fetia Dedgeba, the service's deputy CEO, proposed implementing standardised national guidelines for all driving schools would ensure consistent training quality while a digital point penalty system would enable stricter driver monitoring. She said establishing equipment standards at inspection centres will guarantee accurate vehicle assessments.

"Our latest traffic codes will be harmonised with neighbouring countries," she told Fortune.

According to Fetia, the overhaul of driver's license issuance through the Tripartite Transit and Transport Facilitation Program (TTTFP). This World Bank-backed initiative, integrating procedures with COMESA and SADC countries, will introduce new features.

Driver's licenses will incorporate biometric data for enhanced security and identification while vehicle data specifications will be linked to licenses, allowing for comprehensive driving history tracking along national borders.

A two-round campaign by the Service of random inspections on around 80,000 cars found 27pc were carrying beyond their capacity, 14pc did not meet minimum technical standards, and 16pc had faulty seatbelts.

Fetia expects speed limiters, which will soon become mandatory on public transport vehicles, to reduce accidents caused by overspeeding. She also foresees compulsory standards on technical inspection equipment, improving the quality of cars on the road.

With nearly 100,000 cars joining Ethiopia's roads annually, around 600 driving schools produce thousands of new drivers yearly for tests prepared by transport authorities.