Highway training mandatory to obtain driving licence in Dubai

Dubai: Training to drive on the highway for a minimum of two hours has been made mandatory to obtain driving license in Dubai, officials announced on Tuesday.

"After passing the road test, drivers will now have to undergo driving lessons along the highway, with the trainers besides them, before they will be issued drivers license," said Ahmad Hashim Behroozian, CEO of the Roads and Transport Authority's (RTA) Licensing Agency. "This will ascertain the drivers' ability to cope with the vehicle as well as other vehicles on the road."

He was speaking at the launch of the unified curriculum for all driving institutes in Dubai.

"The unified curriculum for training and qualifying those wishing to obtain driving licenses for light motor vehicles has been distributed to all driving institutes in Dubai and has been put into effect since the start of this year," he said.

Specific areas along the highway have been identified by RTA, where drivers would be trained.

Training on the highway is just one of the changes the new curriculum will introduce. Other significant changes include mandatory night driving lessons and lessons on sudden braking in case of emergency situations.

The new curriculum has two components. The theoretical component comprises of 8 basic lectures, which are mandatory for trainees to attend as they cover safety standards and groom them to become able drivers, officials said. The practical component comprises five basic stages including emergency braking, parking exercises, night driving and highway driving.

The number of mandatory lessons will still continue to be 40 lessons, and this way the new curriculum will not mean any additional costs for the trainees, Behroozian noted.