The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) is to realize ?62billion from the exercise to replace driving licenses. Mr. Joe Osei-Wusu, chief executive officer of DVLA, who disclosed this in an interview, said 1,500 licenses were expected to be replaced by the close of the exercise by September this year.

On the new testing procedures, Mr. Osei Wusu said in spite of the perception that it would discourage applicants; on the contrary, the number kept increasing. He said eth pass rate of successful applicants fell from 90 per cent to about 40 per cent. This, Mr. Osei-Wusu attributed to the fact that most of the motor training schools apart from not being licensed to operate, did not lay emphasis on written tests.

He indicated that the written test had disadvantages over the in traffic test since the former would not have the tendency of being manipulated. He said the central region produced best learner drivers who applied for driving licenses through written examination conducted from September to December last year.

In the case of Tema, 80 applicants failed in September, while 77 people passed in the same month. More people failed in Kumasi with only 45 applicants passing out of 163 in October, 33 of 151 in November and 50 passed out of 102 in December.

For Cape Coast, 26 passed while two failed in September, 92 passed while 30 applicants failed in October. In November, 58 passed while 14 failed. In December 64 passed while 16 failed. In Winneba there were no tests conducted in September. However, in October only 11 out of 37 passed the test.