Car stickers to identify new drivers on road

Dubai: The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has planned to revamp the driving licence system in the emirate with a number of new initiatives including the compulsory medical fitness tests for the new drivers.

Currently, only an eye test is mandatory to obtain a driving licence.

Allowing a driver less than 18 to start training, improved driving training and testing courses, providing provisional licence valid for one year to new drivers under 21 years of age and reducing the licence validity period of heavy vehicles' driver from ten to five years are some of the new initiatives recommended by the RTA to the Ministry of Interior (MOI).

"The main objective of revamping the driving licence system is to improve drivers' training, vehicle testing system and the level of awareness about safety of roads among drivers and pedestrians alike," said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA. He said these initiatives were part of continuing collaboration between RTA and the ministry.

Beginners

"The initiatives also came in implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] for Partnership signed by the RTA with the MOI to effectively minimise traffic congestion, road traffic accidents and run-over accidents," he noted.

According to official statistics, some 294 people, including 105 pedestrians, were killed in road accidents in Dubai last year while the emirate is losing around Dh4.5 billion annually in traffic congestion.

He said that new initiatives have been proposed after the RTA study on the reality of traffic safety and compliance of drivers with systems and legislation on road safety. The study suggested that the majority of fatal accidents were due to ‘beginner drivers' who lack sufficient driving experience.

"Based on the study, we recommend restricting driving freedom of new drivers by denying them some of the privileges which are normally granted to experienced drivers," Al Tayer said. He added that the study proposes the adoption of a provisional licensing system to give only one year licences during the first three years to drivers less than 21.

The new drivers will also have a sticker or poster affixed on their vehicles.

The RTA also proposed improved rules for the professional drivers including drivers of trucks, buses, taxicabs and all those who are involved in the driving profession.

New initiatives

- Mandatory medical fitness tests for all drivers.

- Allowing young people to train for driving licence at the age of seventeen and a half years.

- Provisional driving licence for new drivers below 21 with certain restrictions.

- One year licence for new drivers between 18 and 21.

- Sticker for new drivers to be affixed on their vehicles.

- Mandatory light vehicle licence for all drivers before applying for a professional or heavy vehicle licences.

- Heavy vehicle driving licences' validity to be reduced from 10 to 5 years.