[TusharK]

Thanks to Sandeep H Das for bringing this to our attention.

In 2019, the Government of India plans to introduce smart driving licenses and vehicle registration certificates (RC) that will be uniform across all states.



According to a media report, Regional Transport Offices (RTO) across India will start issuing driving licenses in a set format, colour & design. These will carry embedded microchips and QR codes as well. The licenses will reportedly have near-field communication (NFC) feature, which will allow the traffic police to access details of the license holder. The smart licenses will also have information like blood group, declaration for organ donation and category of vehicle. It will have emblems of both the state and national issuing authority. Similar changes have been proposed for vehicle registration certificates.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has said that the groundwork for this new system has already begun and the nationwide roll out is expected by July 2019. Those applying for renewal or re-registration will automatically get a new driving license and RC.

The new system will use a new database, which is expected to reduce multiplicity of driving licenses. Linking Aadhar to driving licenses through apps like Digilocker and mParivahan could also help achieve this.

Source: TOI

Link to Team-BHP News

[arunphilip]

Big fan of uniformity for documentation, so this is definitely good news. Even better is the pragmatic rollout, instead of forcing a change.

These will carry embedded microchips and QR codes as well. The licenses will reportedly have near-field communication (NFC) feature, which will allow the traffic police to access details of the license holder. The smart licenses will also have information like blood group, declaration for organ donation and category of vehicle.

I would prefer the DLs carrying just a QR code with the necessary information, instead of an NFC chip. Or just print the data on the card in a human readable format.

And allow people to carry clear photocopies, instead of the original.

Replacing a credit card is hassle-free, replacing a lost DL is anything but.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Or better, carry it digitally, like the National digi Locker App allows you to. And that it should be accepted.

That's an even better option!

Originally Posted by Sheel

How true is that. Though, things are changing, one of my friend lost his DL and he got another within 3 days, he had few contacts, but still, 3 days is decent enough for now.

Good for him, but would that be the norm nationally? I hope it does become so with this common DL.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

And allow people to carry clear photocopies, instead of the original.

Or better, carry it digitally, like the National digi Locker App allows you to. And that it should be accepted.

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Replacing a credit card is hassle-free, replacing a lost DL is anything but.

How true is that. Though, things are changing, one of my friend lost his DL and he got another within 3 days, he had few contacts, but still, 3 days is decent enough for now.

[Chetan_Rao]

Good move.

My driving license is issued in Madhya Pradesh, and it often raises eyebrows with constables in different states (more so in KA) who try to insist it isn't valid because they don't recognize the format and/or the place of issue is out-of-state, until I point them to the banner on top that says in bold 'Indian Union Driving License'.

[deehunk]

I know from a very reliable source that RTO work will be outsourced to an Indian private company like how TCS is involved in the passport issuance. This might just be the trailer before the transition.

[Ragavsr]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

I would prefer the DLs carrying just a QR code with the necessary information, instead of an NFC chip. Or just print the data on the card in a human readable format.

And allow people to carry clear photocopies, instead of the original.

Replacing a credit card is hassle-free, replacing a lost DL is anything but.

Carrying laminated colour Xerox copies used to be the norm in Tamil Nadu until a year back.Then, the courts screwed up and the HC here made originals mandatory.

There is a thread on that very topic on team bhp where I mentioned that carrying originals will mean the licence getting lost often which is such a big hassle.

A lot of people supported the HC on that thread asking me what is the proportion of people losing an original licence. As it happened, I lost my license along with the wallet and joined the club.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Or better, carry it digitally, like the National digi Locker App allows you to. And that it should be accepted.

I believe the Central Government amended the Motor Vehicles Act to include this provision. The acceptability by the cops is a big question mark. I am driving around only with the digilocker copy until my replacement licence is issued and I am never going to carry it again.

Also, there are crooks who ask and take the original DL as guarantee for any accidental damage and hold it until they are given money. My friend was one of them and I was appalled. However, gullible folks do exist and an awareness campaign has to be conducted to prevent this abuse.

Would be happy if the government amends the law to make 3rd party claims easier and also establishes proper protocol for used vehicles where the new buyer simply refuses to do a name transfer. The seller should not be held liable after the time he has reported the sale to the RtO.

[pratyush6]

My last Indian DL issued from Jharkhand, had the same format. It has a QR Code, a type of a sim card (for the lack of a better word) and has both the Indian and State symbols.

Standardization is actually a pretty good idea, linking it with Aadhar isn't.

[srishiva]

I concur with the uniform information provided on the license. But I feel each state should have their own looks with their own monuments or symbols.

Dont understand the logic behind it being smart or with NFC. When you have a number, isn't entering that going to give all the information to the authorities ? Instead make it durable and get better photos on them

[rajathv8]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Standardization is actually a pretty good idea, linking it with Aadhar isn't.

Why do you say so? Wouldn't it help curb multiple DL?

[RedHerring]

Originally Posted by deehunk

I know from a very reliable source that RTO work will be outsourced to an Indian private company like how TCS is involved in the passport issuance. This might just be the trailer before the transition.

This is really required. There was a time when passport application meant either multiple frustrating visits or trying to find someone who knows someone who then knows someone at the passport office. And then a shameless police constable who would ask for a bribe to do his job. All that has really changed with TCS.

If there is any institution that's even more corrupt, it's the RTOs across the country. Such a move will be a complete transformation. I am sure that the powers that be will resist it as this will mean a drastic loss in underhand income for many of them.

[pratyush6]

Originally Posted by rajathv8

Why do you say so? Wouldn't it help curb multiple DL?

1. Privacy: Why does Govt want to know my driving habits?
2. Fakes: There are fakes of Aadhar Cards, itself, how does that stop anyone getting multiple DLs?

Set that aside, rules cannot be framed keeping in mind bad apples, that is the job of law enforcement. Make keeping more than one DL a harsher punishment, you get caught, you are behind bars, end of story. That is enough of a discouragement for 99.99% folks out there.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

1. Privacy: Why does Govt want to know my driving habits?

How would the government know your driving habits from your DL? It just lists the classes of vehicles you're licensed to drive. It doesn't identify where you drive, how often, or how fast (which is what I would term "driving habits").

Your point is valid if your NHAI RFID tag is linked to Aadhaar, but otherwise I don't see how your privacy is compromised.

BTW, given that the DL is already a valid form of ID, cross-referencing it to Aadhaar is a simple exercise, via fuzzy name recognition and photo matching, if the government felt the need.

[pratyush6]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

How would the government know your driving habits from your DL? It just lists the classes of vehicles you're licensed to drive. It doesn't identify where you drive, how often, or how fast (which is what I would term "driving habits").
.

DL linked to Aadhar, which in turn is linked to pretty much everything like Phone, Insurance, Bank. I mean how difficult it is to identify, where did you go? When did you go? And also how did you go?

Remember, anonymizing this data is an incredibly tough job; as accpted by insurance companies, who now actually provide an incentive when you use a telematics device in your car.

We are going OT, but we've seen how secure our data is already when held by the Govt agencies. So, the less the cross linking, the better. As I said before, standardization though is a good step. Why not go a step further and standardized Road Tests too?

[Aviationshark]

This is fantastic news and I'm happy to read the implementation of this would be done in a staggered, come as need be, basis.

It would be interesting to see if it is indeed outsourced, will they finally start conducting tests before issuing licenses or will it still be a plastic card merely issued on demand.

[GTO]

Mod Note: No more off-topic discussions on the Aadhaar linkup please.