Men should not teach wives how to drive - official

The Ras Al Khaimah Traffic and Licensing Department yesterday warned that men are not permitted to train their wives to drive motor vehicles.

Lt Col Omar Salem, who heads the Drivers' Licensing Department, said the number of husbands teaching their wives to drive had increased, even as the old law that permitted them to do so had been revoked.

He explained that the department used to grant special permission for men to train their wives to drive in specific areas of the emirate.

This special procedure had lately been stopped as several professional driving institutes for women had spread, with qualified women trainers.

Despite it being illegal now for men to teach their wives to drive, the practice still continues in the countryside where, people felt, the authorities would not be able to spot them
Lt Col Salem, however, said that police patrols had been ordered to randomly patrol the countryside as well.

Violators were committing dual offences, he said – training a person without having permission to do so and letting the trainee drive without a licence.

Each of these has its penalties. Driving without a licence is a major offence whose penalty is a Dh3,000 fine in addition to the car being seized. The case can then be referred to court and if convicted the violators could easily go to jail.

Some men have also started training their daughters and sisters, which was completely illegal, Lt Col Salem said.

He said with a larger number of women applying for driving licences in Ras Al Khaimah, there has been a profusion of driving schools for women, complete with qualified women instructors.

Under the circumstances, all women applying for licences are required to take a minimum of 20 lessons from an accredited institute and produce papers certifying the same when they take their driving tests.