You will have to score at least 60 per cent in the objective test to secure even the learner’s driving licence. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways intends to be that strict to plug loopholes that lead to issuance of driving licences without a proper theoretical and practical training of the applicant.
By addressing the entire driving licence system, the Ministry will be cracking the whip on illegal driving schools, the corruption prevailing at the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) which issue driving licences on being bribed , and hope that this measure would stem the increase in fatal road accidents.
Worried that as many as 1.42 lakh people died in road accidents in 2011 and drivers were responsible for more than 70 per cent of these fatalities, the Ministry is working to put an end to the issuance of licence on pecuniary considerations.
There are more than 1,000 RTOs in the country and more than 500 to 2000 people approach each of these centres for a learner’s licence daily, and about one crore are issued a licences annually.
Most applicants go for the short cut and pay up to Rs. 2000 to the touts to secure a licence, the legal fee for which in Delhi is Rs. 360. Thus, such a racket sees at least Rs. 2000 crore changing hands across the country annually. Officials here apprehend opposition to their initiative as various bureaucratic levels are also complicit in this.
Accepting the recommendation of a committee which looked into the entire gamut involving the driving licence system, the Ministry has decided to issue a notification making it mandatory for those applying for a learner’s licence to take a computer based objective test to test their knowledge of road sense and signs.
To help the rural people with minimal education, free booklets will be supplied free of cost as and when they apply for the learner’s licence and come prepared for the test. Those who fail can repeat the test about a week later, but scoring at least 60 per cent is a must.
Norms for the authorised driving schools will be made stricter by accrediting and ranking them on the basis of the number of trainers they have, the number and brands of car they have and the practical and theoretical knowledge they impart to the students.
The final objective test of driving skills will be electronically recorded by radio frequency identification devices , which would track how the candidate carried out the commands issued . The device will then issue a printed performance report.
But implementing all these norms will require at least two acres of space, infrastructure and finance and involvement of public-private partnerships . The old RTOs have the required space but there isn’t any in the heart of metros like Delhi and Mumbai. However, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have provided the infrastructure and space to the RTOs and are making use of it.
Keywords: driving licence, stringent laws
Why only 60%? We need at least 90%
Australia has a learner driver testing system requires 29 correct
answers out of the 30 combined road safety essentials and traffic
signs questions and 12 correct answers out of the 15 general driver
knowledge questions.
That clearly shows the difference
*Australia has 8 fatality per 100,000 vehicles
*India has 315 fatality per 100,000 vehicles
If the recommendations are implemented in full and electronic watching of driving style leads to the issue of a drivinglicence, then it is good. But in electronic checking of driving style, a passions test should be included. Most accidents happens due to impassions of the driver.
I went to RTO office of my area for driving license.I learned all driving symbols and successfully passed test for learning license.I was happy thinking I do not paid bribe.But at the time of permanent license I failed to recognize a traffic symbol which actually does not exist. Then a tout came to me and you know rest. Now in this RTO computer based system has been implemented but still bribing is rampant. A person stands outside of computer room and for every question by gesture he tells the answers(option 1,2,3,4) by using his fingers and people pass in computer test. Actually the system of taking bribe has also changed(modernized) with computerization and the process of taking bribe will keep improving as the RTO gets more computerized.The one who get 100% will fail and failures scoring less than 60% will pass. To tackle this problem tests centers should be made and OMR sheet based tests should be held like competitive exams.Licenses should be issued by central government.
There is no point in having rules if no one bothers to implement them. A friend of mine sat for a driving test in Chennai. Though he is intelligent, he made a mistake in one of the MCQs. One of the RTO workers immediately corrected him. It was obvious that the exam was name sake and the workers/brokers were blatantly flouting the rules. Sinceretity and Pride in one's duty is something most Indians lack.
It is necessary that drivers should know the rules and follow them,
which requires training and sincere testing. The governments should
build the necessary infrastructure for carrying out the scheme, and
provide adequate resources for the purpose. Irresponsible driving
should be eliminated by all means, particularly by imparting rigorous
training to drivers, and ensuring their strict compliance with
regulations. Another problem to be addressed in this context is to put
down drunken driving.The first step for this will be the elimination
of the availability of cheap liquor in roadside shops, and systematic
breath tests for drivers
This was long overdue. Driving licence related corruption and racketing was rampant in the country. Kudos to the Ministry that now plans to regulate it.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highway is making a fool of
itself. It doesn't matter what they say. In hyderabad, you need to pay
INR 2500 you can get a drivers license without even appearing for the
exam. :) I am not joking...there are enough agents..and 1/2 of that
money goes to the key people working in the institution.
If folks even get 10% answers right, we will have discipline in our
roads... I am not sure what plan of action they have to deliver on
what they say... with 60% mark requirement, they will ask for more
money under the table ... That is all this means. They have increased
the bar means they want more money under the table...
The title of this article should h ave been "you have to pay 40% more
cash% to get the license...to your agent without writing exam
Certainly a good step, I believe if implemented properly unlike most of
things in our country. At least, new drivers will come to know what the
rules are.
This is a long pending due and it is glaring that the accidents are taking place due to poor knowledge and road sense of the drivers who get licences by just paying the touts the required bribe and when they get to know the skills of driving by experience, they never learn the road ethics. All this are due to rampant corruption in the RTO offices and totally it should be reveamped. Whatever it is going to happen it should happen at the shortest time possible so that precious lives can be saved who unnecessarily lose their life for no fault of them.
Excellent move by ministry. I am not sure about the impact but this is
very similar to what US has. You have to get 20 questions right out of
25 to get learners permit. Test is computer based and can be repeated
once in a week without any fee. I seriously hope this shall bring some
changes in current system.
If the recommendations are implemented in full and electronic watching
of driving style leads to issue to licence, then it is good day for the
citizens of India and other drivers who adhere to the rules of the road.
Let us pray that this is implemented surely and quickly.
You can make the legislation. But the implementation is the question. They will of the Government and most importantly of the people for compliance is the critical factor. Are the citizens ready for a clean government? They can show that every time they go to poles.
This will certainly help to improve the discipline,but,with so much corruption, I do not expect
much change. One must see the Tamil movie ' INDIAN' to see reality. I have seen only one
RTO , some time ago at the ,Thiruvanmiyur Chennai RTO office, really honest.
Good Move. Also the validity of Licences should be checked every 5 years. I am sure this will also follow.
I look at this news item with mixed feelings. One should make sure that streets are safe from motorists. On the other hand one really learns only after getting a license and owning a vehicle. Furthermore motorists' merely knowing the rules and regulations will not protect others on the road. The prospective motorists should have a moral calibre to follow the rules faithfully so as not to cause accidents. Learning the rules and passing the examinations will not prevent speeders, alcoholics and such others from causing harm. For example people belonging to elite services such as IAS, IPS, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Forest Service etc. are likely to have read well and they have evidently passed the examinations with flying colours. Do they refrain from causing harms to others or molesting people ?
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