AUDITOR General Pamela Munroe-Ellis has called for a review of the Road Traffic Act to reduce the rate at which motorcycle drivers have been abusing the provisions of that statute.

In her report for the financial year ended March 2010, which is now being examined by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC), Munroe-Ellis said “motorcycle drivers seem to be abusing the provisions of the Road Traffic Act that allows them to drive a motorcycle without a motorcycle driver’s licence”.

“As a result these drivers are ‘authorised’ to drive but they have not been certified competent by the Traffic Authority,” the report said.

As a case in point, the Auditor General’s Department said a random sample of 50 motorcycle drivers from the New Kingston, Cross Roads and Half-Way-Tree areas of St Andrew were selected to ascertain what percentage had licences.

According to the department, of the 50 drivers selected, 45 worked as messengers. The shocking discovery was that “none of the 50 had a motorcycle driver’s licence but instead used their Provisional Driver’s Licence”.

“None saw the need for a motorcycle driver’s licence when they could continue using their Provisional Driver’s Licence indefinitely,” the auditor general noted.

The situation persists because while Section 16 of the Road Traffic Act states that a motorcycle driver’s licence shall entitle the holder to drive a motorcycle, it also says that an individual may drive a motorcycle without a motorcycle driver’s licence if he or she has a valid Provisional Driver’s Licence (Learner’s Licence). This may be done without the usual supervision as would be required for a “learner” driving a motor car.

As a result, Munroe-Ellis said to remedy this situation, “the Road Traffic Act should be reviewed with a view to reducing the opportunities for abuse and ensuring that all motorcycle drivers are the holders of a valid motorcycle driver’s licence”.

“This could be done by applying certain restrictions to the provisional driver’s licence such as limiting the holders to operate a vehicle only within a certain time period or restricting the operation of a vehicle to certain designated roads,” the auditor general suggested.