A driving licence lock should be installed in every car in order to better enforce regulations against unlicensed drivers, The Parents of Road Accident Victims (OVK) said this Friday to Belgian media.
"We have an abundance of databases that are not functional, even though there is a wealth of resources available to really enforce the driving ban", said Koen Van Wonterghem, director of OVK.
OVK is a Belgian non-profit organisation, seeking to ensure safer roads and driving in Belgium.
According to Van Wonterghem, such a lock would be perfectly feasible. It functions like the already existing Alcolock, a device which requires drivers to breathalyse themselves in order to unlock their vehicle. Drivers would, therefore, have to present a valid driving licence in order to unlock their car.
Given the software already exists, “it is up to Europe to impose this on car manufacturers”, said Van Wonterghem.
OVK’s demands arise after news that a software malfunction is preventing police carrying out checks from accessing the list of banned drivers emerged on Thursday.
The Minister of Justice, Koen Geens, supported OVK’s demands. However, the road safety institute Vias, believed that such a system would be difficult to implement. “Ensuring that the Mercury database is operational is an important step before we can think further", said Vias spokesperson, Stef Willems.
Madeleine Fletcher
The Brussels Times
