Will all heavy vehicle driving licenses issued before 2009 be revoked?

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The issuance of driving licenses is a crucial aspect for any country, ensuring that only qualified individuals are allowed to operate vehicles. Recently, there has been significant discussion in Sri Lanka surrounding this issue, with a surge in misleading posts circulating on social media. These posts often spread false information about the licensing process, causing confusion and concern among the public. It is essential to address these inaccuracies promptly to maintain trust in the system and ensure that the public remains well-informed about the correct procedures and regulations regarding driving licenses in the country.

Social Media Posts

Social media posts are being spread stating that all heavy vehicle driving licenses issued before 2009 will be cancelled.

According to the circulated post, Commissioner General of Department of Motor Traffic, Nishantha Anuruddha Weerasinghe stated that the Motor Transport Department decided to cancel these licenses within the next three months, and that this decision was made under the removal of all old driving licenses. You can refer to the post here.

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Some mainstream media also reported on this. Such reports can be found here and here

Many people inquired about this accuracy, and we took several steps to check this news.

Fact Check

We have not seen any supporting evidence that Mr. Anuruddha Weerasinghe made such a statement.

In a press conference held on July 24th, the Commissioner General stated that the currently used driving licenses were issued in 2009 and that everything is ready to issue digital driver’s licenses in the future. He also stated that issuing of driving licenses will be done in a formal and efficient manner with the aid of an automatic system in near future. But, he didn’t state anything regarding the cancellation of driving licenses issued before 2009.

Commissioner General of the Department of Motor Traffic

The Department of Motor Traffic commissioner general stated that they didn’t decide like that, and the circulating post is false and misleading its users.

What really happens to driver’s licenses?

The reason for circulating such a post is that considering the current situation regarding the prevention of road accidents and the safety of the highway, a system of giving black marks to the driver’s license is to be introduced.

Accordingly, when a person holding a driver’s license commits a traffic offence on the road, according to the fine ticket given by the police officers, a digital system is prepared to pay the specific fine immediately.

Also, a system of adding penalty points to one’s driving license in relation to the offence committed will be implemented. After this system of black points, up to 24 points, is added to the driver’s licenses, they will be cancelled.

Furthermore, he pointed out that the necessary steps will be taken to introduce a system in which, after one year, one has to start from scratch to obtain a driving license again after it is cancelled.

He added that 7 people die per a day and many become completely disabled due to road accidents, and that this system was implemented to create discipline on the road and for the safety of pedestrians and motorists traveling on the road.

Accordingly, the Commissioner General of the Motor Vehicle Department, Mr Nishantha Anuruddha Weerasinghe, stated at the press conference held on the 22nd that the basic steps related to implementing this new system within the next three months are being taken.

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Conclusion

According to our investigation, social media posts stating that all heavy vehicle driving licenses issued before 2009 will be cancelled are false. Considering road safety, steps have been taken to implement a system giving black marks to the driver’s license.