The ANSR has signed a protocol with leading car hire companies in Portugal aimed at speeding up and simplifying the identification process of drivers who rent a car in the country.


The new protocol will allow the ANSR to consult a database provided by car rental companies to make it easier to identify car rental drivers, thus removing the entire chain of notifications by post.


According to the ANSR, this process will allow “for a reduction in the notification time of the offender” by half, and also reduce “the costs in postal services”.


According to the Association of Driverless Car Hire Manufacturers (ARAC), car rental accounts for 24 percent of the purchases of light vehicles in Portugal, and by 2018 around 100,000 cars were rented during the peak season. This year ARAC expects to see this number rise by a further 7 percent.


Secretary of State for Civil Protection, José Artur Neves, told Lusa that it is currently difficult to contact drivers who rent cars and incur traffic fines or violations.


“There were cases of three notifications being needed to reach the real vehicle user. It was almost always an ordeal, however now the process has been simplified, ”he said.


The Secretary of State stressed that the issuing of notifications more quickly should help to encourage offenders “to avoid further successive violations”.


In the case of foreign tourists, José Neves said that this procedure will also make it easier to notify drivers quickly”.
According to the Secretary of State, the ANSR processes 28,000 requests for the location of drivers who rent cars and commit road traffic violations annually.