Soon, drivers in India will be able to acquire a Driving Licence (DL) without undertaking a driving test at any Regional Transport Office (RTO). The Union Road Ministry has notified rules for accredited driver training centres where candidates will be provided high-quality driving courses, and once the test is cleared, they will be exempted from driving test at the time of obtaining a driving licence.
These training centres will be equipped with simulators and a dedicated driving test track to provide high-quality training to candidates, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) said.
After the rules come into effect from 1 July, only those private driving training schools will get to function which have been granted accreditation either by the state transport authority or central government. The training schools will be required to renew their accreditation after every five years
As per the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, two types of courses can be availed at these centres – remedial and refresher courses. These centres will be allowed to provide industry-specific specialised training as well, the Ministry said, adding that shortage of skilled drivers is one of the major issues in the Indian roadways sector and a large number of road accidents occur due to lack of knowledge of road regulations.
The duration for a light motor vehicle driving course in accredited driver training centres is 29 hours in the span of maximum 4 weeks from the date of commencement of the course, the notification said, adding that the course will to be divided into theory and practice.
For heavy vehicles, the centres should have at least two acres of land. The instructor should have cleared class 12 and have a driving experience of five years. The duration for medium and heavy motor vehicle driving course in accredited driver training centres is thirty eight hours in the span of six weeks. “These are to be divided into two segments, theory and practical,” the notification said.
Drivers will also be taught some basic aspects about ethical and courteous behaviour with other road users.
