Uncertified driving instructor

One evening whilst on the road training my 17 year old daughter how to drive, we were stopped by a traffic police who asked us two questions. First if my daughter had a learner driver’s licence and if I had an instructor’s certificate. My daughter had a learner driver’s licence but I did not have what the traffic police called instructor’s certificate though I had my driving licence. The traffic police imposed a fine of TZS 30,000 for the offence he called giving driving instruction to a learner driver without a driving instructors’ certificate. Does this offence really exist under the laws of Tanzania? It doesn’t make sense to me that to be able to teach my daughter driving, I am required to get an instructor’s certificate as if I am teaching in a driving school. Please guide me if I was treated fairly by the traffic policeman before I decide to pay the imposed fine.
KS, DAR

It is against section 21(1) of the Road Traffic Act [Cap.168 R.E 2002] read together with paragraph 35 of the Schedule to the Road Traffic (Notification of Offences) Regulations, 2011 (GN No.257 of 2011) for anyone to give driving instructions to a learner driver without the instructor being in possession of driving instructions certificate. Any driving instructor must be a certified driving instructor and should have the driving instructor’s certificate for him to be able to legally give instructions to another.

This legal requirement is mandatory irrespective of the relationship between the instructor and the learner driver. Duty to possess a driving instructor’s certificate is not waived by a mere fact that the instructor has the driving licence. Driving licence and instructor’s certificate are two different documents and therefore the traffic police was right to impose a fine on you for giving driving instruction to your daughter without being in possession of instructor’s driving licence. We must admit that this fact is not known to many.

In order to avoid a penalty associated with delay to pay the fine, we advise you to pay the fine imposed on you by the traffic police immediately.