Authorities Target Reckless Driving With Mandatory Retraining

Jun 8 , 2025. By NAHOM AYELE ( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )

In a marked departure from traditional deterrents, transport authorities are set to impose a compulsory rehabilitation program for drivers whose licenses are suspended due to serious traffic violations. If successfully implemented, the directive would make driver re-education a condition for reinstatement, shifting road safety enforcement from a punitive to a corrective approach.

Suspended drivers will be barred from operating any vehicle until they complete a mandatory 14-hour rehabilitation program, attending sessions that are two hours each day, over the course of a full week. To regain their driving privileges, they also have to pass a post-training assessment. The entire cost of the training will be borne by the driver, reinforcing personal responsibility for their actions.

The measure is part of a broader push by officials of the Road Safety & Insurance Fund Service to reduce accidents by addressing reckless driving through structured re-education, a departure from relying solely on monetary fines that officials acknowledge have failed as deterrents.

"So far, monetary penalties have done little to correct reckless behaviour," said Yohannes Lemma, executive director of the Fund. "The training is not only disciplinary. It's rehabilitative."

The directive is based on the amended Road Transport Traffic Control Regulation issued by the Council of Ministers in August last year. The regulation identifies specific offences and their corresponding penalties. Causing bodily harm attracts 14 demerit points, resulting in a six-month suspension. Serious bodily injury or a fatality carries 17 demerit points and triggers a one-year suspension. The most severe violation, causing the deaths of two or more individuals, incurs 21 demerit points and leads to a suspension of one year and six months.

According to Yohannes, the new curriculum targets psychological and behavioural transformation, addressing critical areas such as speeding and negligence, which are major contributors to fatal crashes.

The training will include understanding the conditions and causes of road accidents, learning prevention strategies, and exploring both the physical and psychological aspects of driving safely. Modules on safe highway usage, emergency first aid, and basic traffic laws are also incorporated. Drivers will be required to present documented proof of suspension and completed training at accredited centres to regain their licenses.

Vehicle associations and vehicle owners will also bear new responsibilities. Owners are mandated to verify drivers' records, ensuring that employees have no unresolved suspensions. Associations should monitor their drivers' compliance, coordinate retraining, and provide administrative support as needed. Yet, many drivers are pushing back, arguing the directive unfairly burdens drivers and associations.

"We're being punished from every angle," said Nuredin Ditamo, chairman of Blen Taxi Owners Association.

He described the directive as "repeated, humiliating" and criticised the requirement, claiming it treats professional drivers like delinquents. According to Nuredin, associations often know the vehicle owners, not individual drivers, which complicates compliance enforcement.

Abebaw Kassa, chairman of the 500-member Tsehay Taxi Owners Association, echoed the frustrations.

"I don't even know my demerit points," he said. "Broader educational efforts, rather than costly punitive measures, would be a better solution."

Drivers are also critical of the officials' intentions to enforce the directive. Yohannes Mulugeta, a taxi driver with a decade of experience, believes drivers are unfairly penalised twice.

"If we pay the fine, why must we also shoulder a costly training?" he wondered. "It feels like double jeopardy."

While acknowledging the need for safer roads, Yohannes worries about the financial strain on drivers already earning limited incomes.

Despite opposition, city officials say they are determined to pursue the directive, pressing for coordinated action. Kebebew Midekisa, director general of the Addis Abeba Traffic Management Authority, called for active involvement from all stakeholders to curb road fatalities, which decreased slightly from 408 deaths two years ago to 401 last year. However, injuries surged by 35pc since the 2020 and 2021 period, primarily affecting pedestrians.

Pedestrians made up 86pc of all traffic fatalities in the 2023/24 fiscal year. The Megenagna area was identified as the city's most dangerous location, with 13 pedestrian deaths recorded. Private cars and vans each accounted for a quarter of pedestrian deaths, while heavy trucks made up another quarter. Vans seating between 12 and 16 passengers caused more than 400 injuries last year alone, and automobiles caused 677 injuries. Young males aged between 20 and 39 accounted for 45pc of the fatalities, with speeding blamed in nearly half of all deadly accidents.

"More cars don't have to mean more casualties," said Yohannes, citing a public awareness campaign launched by the Fund, which pointed at drivers' error as the primary cause in 68pc of traffic accidents nationwide. Last year alone, Ethiopia imported 67,633 vehicles, coinciding with 46,571 recorded traffic accidents, resulting in an average of nine fatalities daily.

Experts are not in agreement about the directive. Abiy Alene, a transport expert lecturing at Kotebe Metropolitan College, criticised the authorities' assumption that drivers alone are responsible for accidents.

"This is a simplistic framing," he said. "Roads lack proper crossings and signage, and are equally hazardous."

Abiy also expressed doubts about the training’s one-size-fits-all approach, arguing that it fails to address the varied causes behind driver errors adequately. He pressed for differentiated training, tailored to specific deficiencies, such as behavioural issues against technical skills gaps.

"Otherwise, this will simply add more pressure on an already burdened group," he warned.

The authorities, however, stand by their position, viewing the directive as crucial to changing driver behaviour and ultimately saving lives.

"Speed is a silent killer," Yohannes reiterated. "Several accidents occur not due to poor roads but because drivers miscalculate their control at high speeds."

PUBLISHED ON Jun 08,2025 [ VOL 26 , NO 1311]