31 Jan 2013

People who continue to drive when disqualified from driving have been warned to desist from doing so.

According to director of traffic, Senior Assistant Commissioner Katlholo Mosimanegape, it has come to the attention of the police that drivers who have been disqualified from driving in Botswana, circumvent the law by obtaining licenses from some neighboring countries.

Mr Mosimanegape said any person disqualified from driving in Botswana was not permitted to drive on the country’s roads, even if they acquired a driver’s license from another country.

 “That is totally not allowed and one would be violating the laws of the country that he acquired the driver’s license from,” he added.

Although he could not provide statistics, Mr Mosimanegape confirmed that the police were aware of such cases. He warned that if such people are caught, the suspension of the license would be increased depending on the magnitude of the offence.

On another issue, he said the law required that people should fasten their safety seat belts before the vehicle begins to move.

“You must wear a seat belt, not only because the law requires you to do so, but for your own safety,” he stressed.

He explained that the Road Traffic Seat Belt regulation required that a person should wear a seat belt at all times when the motor vehicle they are travelling in was in forward motion on a road.

He noted that safety belts were the single most effective traffic safety device for preventing death in a road accident. Mr Mosimanegape described a ‘road’ as any surface, excluding private residential area, which the general public had access to. ENDS