Quality control of driving license tests

Starting June 1, individuals seeking a driving license in India will not be required to undergo mandatory tests at Regional Transport Offices (RTO). Revised rules have authorised private driving schools to conduct tests and issue the required certificates for obtaining driving licenses. Monitoring the quality control of the decentralized procedure will be crucial to improving road safety. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) observed in its report “Road Accidents in India 2022” that vehicles driven by untrained and unqualified drivers are serious traffic hazards. The MoRTH holds the view that though the problem is basically an enforcement issue, it must also be addressed with better facilities and opportunities for training, skilling, and evaluation and testing. Nearly 12% of total road accidents in the country in 2022 involved drivers with learners’ licenses and without valid licenses. Ironically, in about 69% of accidents, drivers held valid licenses, which raises questions about the quality of driving training and the standards of driving tests conducted at RTOs. The government has set standards for private driving schools under which they will be required to have one acre of land for conducting tests of two-wheelers and three-wheelers and at least two acres of land for conducting tests of four-wheelers. The new rules also require the authorised driving schools to conduct a minimum of four weeks of training in both theory and practical for getting a license for light motor vehicles like cars, autorickshaws, scooters, etc., and six weeks of training for obtaining a driving license for heavy motor vehicles like trucks, buses, etc. The current practice of many individuals learning to drive under someone with driving experience and a license and using roads and highways for behind-the-wheel training does not ensure quality learning. They avoid going to an authorized driving school to save money that will be needed to pay the training fee and follow a scheduled routine for theory and practical lessons by professional trainers. Besides, many unauthorized trainers do not put the “L” plate (to denote learner) in the front and back of the vehicle, making it difficult for other vehicle drivers to take note that it is being driven by someone with a learner’s license, which increases accident risk. Undergoing rigorous and proper training at driving schools can be expected to improve driving quality. This, however, will require the transport authorities to put in place a system of checks and balances to prevent any lapses in the training process. The installation of CCTV at the driving test arena and transport authorities regularly inspecting them for any deviation from the standards set will prevent any dilution in quality assurance while conducting tests for issuing certificates for driving licenses. There should be no room for taking a driving test without receiving formal training at a driving school. The transport authorities organising refresher training programmes for trainers of authorized driving schools will help update them on training modules to the latest road engineering details and road safety standards so that they also pass it on to the learners. A window of grievance redressal at the RTO will protect learners or license seekers from any wrongdoing by any driving schools while conducting the tests and undue denial of certificates for obtaining licenses. Doing away with the tests at RTO is to be seen as making them available at multiple locations instead of a single location, which led to the accumulation of applications and long delays in booking the test dates. Undergoing a full training module at an authorised driving school also increases the opportunity to raise awareness levels about road safety. Overspeeding continues to be the single largest contributor to rising road accidents and road fatalities, while driving on the wrong side is the second biggest cause in the country. With all license seekers undergoing training at the driving schools, it will be easier for the transport authorities to reach out to them at the learners’ stage to educate them on road safety norms. As the responsibility to grant licenses to set up driving schools rests with the States and Union Territories, a pro-active role by the state transport departments will facilitate more authorized training centres across the state. As the use of carriage vans and other motor vehicles in the farm sector has substantially increased, making driving training facilities available beyond cities and towns and closer to villages has become an urgent necessity. Training modules for driving schools in the northeastern region, including Assam, should specifically focus on hill driving, and driving schools with hilly tracks for conducting tests are essential to certifying that the trainee is qualified to drive vehicles in both the plains and the hills. Rising accidents in the hilly sectors involving vehicles going from plain areas in the region are a pointer towards a lack of adequate training of the drivers. Easing the process of obtaining a driving license must ensure safer driving.