Licence for automatic transmission cars

Manama: Al Wefaq, Bahrain’s largest parliamentary bloc, is pushing for offering driving lessons with vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions, saying that it would help reduce the pressure on obtaining the much-coveted licence.

According to the society, the high rate of failures in the driving test is due to the difficulties applicants face while steering cars with manual transmissions in crowded streets.

"Applicants should at least be given the choice to be tested on a car with an automatic or manual transmission," the five Al Wefaq MPs said in the motion submitted to the parliament.

"We have a long list of people who are waiting to be tested on their driving abilities and with a high rate of failure, the list is unfortunately growing bigger and causing stress since modern life makes it mandatory to have a car."

The bill said that many countries offer both options and claimed there was no reason for Bahrain not to follow their example to help ease tension and remove stress.

Bahrain currently requires applicants to drive cars with manual gears even though the vast majority of the more than 400,000 vehicles circulating in the country have automatic transmissions.

Al Wefaq's proposal immediately drew mixed reactions from Bahrainis. Supporters said that it would be a "good solution" to help applicants who find it difficult to drive and change gears in crowded areas, while opponents said that the society should re-focus its attention on more crucial social and political issues and leave such matters to other societies or to the competent authorities.