Road safety alert: expert warns Code 10 licence loophole endangers lives
The practice of issuing Code 10 licences to first-time drivers is doing more harm than good and must be urgently reformed.
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South Africa’s K53 system, when used correctly, is an excellent defensive driving framework. It teaches situational awareness, anticipation and hazard identification - skills that, if applied correctly, can help a driver go decades without a single collision.
Yet despite this, our roads remain among the deadliest in the world.
Key factors
According to Lunga Ntsendwana, founder and Managing Director of BlueChevron Driver Training Academy in Port Elizabeth, two key factors are at the heart of the crisis: poor training standards and outdated licensing loopholes.
He says that the practice of issuing Code 10 licences to first-time drivers is doing more harm than good and must be urgently reformed.
“Around 60% of new licences issued in South Africa are Code 10, intended for light trucks,” Ntsendwana says.
“Many learners choose it because they think it’s better for job prospects, or because it’s perceived as easier to pass, but this is a dangerous shortcut that leaves new drivers unprepared for real-world driving.”
Drive till you pass
Ntsendwana says that, unlike the more practical Code 08 licence, which focuses on driving passenger vehicles, Code 10 tests are often completed at low speeds on simple routes.
“Some learners pass after just 5–10 hours behind the wheel, never driving faster than 40km/h or mastering real traffic conditions.
“Meanwhile, unscrupulous driving schools market 'drive till you pass' packages that focus purely on passing the test yard movements, not on building true driving competence.”
He says that this is setting a dangerous precedent.
“When a driver can pass a test without learning emergency braking, hazard awareness, or proper lane discipline, we’re sending unprepared motorists onto already dangerous roads.”
Urgent overhaul needed
Ntsendwana calls for an urgent overhaul of the system to make our roads safer and suggests four ways that this can be achieved.
Scrap Code 10 for beginners and make Code 08 the standard for all new drivers.
A minimum of 30 hours of formal, accredited training, including night driving.
A redesigned test that prioritises real-world defensive driving skills like braking, emergency lane changes, and skid recovery - not just parking.
Licensing only through registered, qualified instructors whose details are linked to the driver’s licence to help fight corruption.
“If we’re serious about saving lives, we must stop selling short-cuts and start producing competent drivers,” Ntsendwana says.
“A car licence makes sense for daily life, not a truck licence that no one uses. Code 08 is the key to safer roads,” he concluded.