UAE | Traffic and Transport

Driving instructors fume over tough tests

Driving instructors at some driving schools are complaining over the decreasing number of trainee drivers who are able to pass their driving tests in Dubai.

  • By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:23 December 22, 2007
  • Gulf News

Dubai: Driving instructors at some driving schools are complaining over the decreasing number of trainee drivers who are able to pass their driving tests in Dubai.

Many instructors told Gulf News it is getting tough for trainee drivers to pass driving tests due to the strict policy adopted by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

An instructor from one of the leading driving schools in Dubai said when 40 or 30 people who get trained by his school apply for driving test, only three or four out of them are be able to pass the test.

"We work very hard to train a person on driving but unfortunately they are unable to pass the test due to strict testing rules adopted by the RTA officials conducting the tests," the instructor said.

Expensive affair

A female instructor said when a learner driver fails her driving test and is forced to repeat the test again and again that will have bad impact on the trainer themselves.

"When the same person comes back to us several times because of not passing the driving test, he or she will not be happy and so will we," she said.

She added when a person fails the test he or she must go for another one to two-week classes which will cost the trainee between Dh600 to Dh800.

"We have cases when some people have to go for retests 10 to 14 times to get their driving licences," she added.

"In the past, it was much easier to pass a driving test, which were earlier conducted by the police. But it has become tougher since RTA has taken over the driving tests."

She said now every new driver intending to obtain driving licence has to take at least 40 lessons to appear in the first driving test. "The first stage of learning driving now costs around Dh4,500," she said.

'More flexibility'

"We hope RTA will change their policy and be more flexible to help us to do our work professionally," she said.

An official from RTA said the authority is working on developing all the services and they want only the capable, qualified and expert people to obtain a driving licence in order to reduce the number of accidents on the roads.

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