WALVIS BAY – The Road Safety Council is set to pilot a national e-ticketing project during the current financial year as part of efforts to digitalise Namibia’s traffic law enforcement and improve road safety management.
Announcing the plans during the ongoing Annual Road Safety conference in Swakopmund, council chairperson Eliphas !Owos-Ôab said the project will be implemented in partnership with key stakeholders.
The stakeholder included, traffic law enforcement agencies, office of the Judiciary, the Ministry of Justice, the Law Reform and Development Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Roads Authority, and the Office of the Prosecutor-General.
The e-ticketing system, he explained, will simplify the management of traffic offences by allowing for electronic ticket issuance, integration with payment systems, and improved tracking of fines and repeat offenders.
Currently, Namibia uses both manual and some digital systems for traffic offences. Traffic officers give physical fines on the road, which people must pay at police stations, courts, or through NamPost. This has caused many fines to remain unpaid. The Namibian Traffic Information System, NaTIS, keeps records of vehicles and drivers but cannot track offences in real time.
In some places, like Windhoek, people can check and pay fines online through the City of Windhoek E-Portal.
“The transparency, speed, and fairness enabled by e-ticketing can enhance public confidence in how the criminal justice system handles traffic offences. It aims to foster a culture of compliance, transparency, and accountability, leading to safer driving habits and a reduction in road crashes,” he said.
The system will also integrate various national databases, including road crash data, traffic offences, vehicle and driver registers, payment systems, operator registers, NamCIS, e-policing, civil registry, and e-health all into one centralised platform.
“This will allow real-time data capture and the production of high-quality statistics for informed, data-driven decision-making,” he added.
!Owos-Ôab also appealed to the line ministry to expedite the tabling of the Road Safety Management bill in parliament, as this will also play a critical part in Namibia’s drive towards safer roads.
Accoding to !Owos-Ôab the bill will pave the way for an empowered road safety agency capable of responding effectively to Namibia’s road safety challenges.
“With your leadership and support, we can establish a Road Safety Agency that ensures lasting protection for every road user,” he said while urging the Minister to prioritise the bill.
Meanwhile, !Owos-Ôab announced that the Arandis Emergency and Traffic Management Centre is nearing completion and is expected to be inaugurated soon. The centre will oversee traffic surveillance systems between Arandis, Usakos, and Swakopmund, allowing for real-time traffic monitoring and faster emergency response.
“Let us assist, share, and leverage the resources required to support our traffic law enforcement agencies. By joining forces and pooling our strengths, we can make a significant impact and save more lives on our roads,” he said.
-edeklerk@nepc.com.na