RTA Unveils Results of Upgrading Drivers Training & Licensing Services Initiative

RTA Unveils Results of Upgrading Drivers Training & Licensing Services Initiative

Al Tayer: RTA Ponders Developing a Programme to Rehabilitate Offending Drivers, whose licenses were confiscated under the Traffic Points System in Association with Dubai Police

• 40 Small-sized, Incompetent Driving Schools / Institutes to be Closed over 3 Years
• Training Syllabuses in all Driving Institutes to be Unified
• D/License Test Pass Level Drops from 50% in 2005 to 24% in 2008
• Applicants for Driving Licenses Hit 196k in 2008

Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:

H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) confirmed that vehicles & drivers licensing system has undergone a quality shift over the past period as evidenced by the launch of numerous initiatives to overhaul drivers training & licensing services and boost traffic safety of novice drivers.

“These initiatives, as well as the ongoing coordination with Dubai Police General HQ and the model partnership with Driving Institutes, contributed to the launch of awareness campaigns, boosting traffic enforcement and drop in road crash fatalities from 24 cases per 100k of population to 17 cases per each 100k of population; the first drop reported since 1998. RTA is also coordinating with Dubai Police and Driving Institutes to explore the possibility of developing a programme to rehabilitate offending drivers who have accumulated a certain lot of traffic points that merits withdrawing their driving licenses. Such training is believed to improve the compliance of drivers with driving and traffic rules & regulations” said Al Tayer.

The above statements were made when H.E. Mattar Al Tayer received the executive directors of driving institutes in Dubai, in the presence of the Executive Director of Emirates Driving Institute Aamir Bel Hasa, the Executive Director of Bel Hasa Driving Center Saif Ahmed Bel Hasa, the Executive Director of Al Ahli Driving Center Ali Mohammed Bu Jessaim, the Executive Director of Dubai Driving Center Ahmed Al Aiali, and the Director General of Galadari Center Al Rayyah Omer Ibrahim. From the RTA attended the CEO of Licensing Agency Ahmed Hashim Bahrouzian, the Director of Drivers Licensing Dep’t Ali Al Jasim, and the Director of Drivers Training & Qualifying Dep’t Mohammed Al Marzooki.

“Over three years RTA closed about 40 incompetent & small size driving schools & institutes in keeping with the sweeping renovation of driving training business to bring it in line with the highest international standards. Affected institutes were advised to seek merger and form conglomerates of model driving institutes capable of shoring up the quality of drivers training. RTA also managed to unify the training syllabuses of all institutes through adopting the syllabus prepared by the Australian international consultant Vic Roads, modeled on the best global practices applicable in Sweden, Canada and Australia. This Manual will be a reference to all trainees, instructors and examiners when the new system is introduced in the second half of this year.

“RTA also prepared 15 manuals for trainees, instructors and examiners in Arabic, English & Urdu. These guides, which are unique across the Middle East, will be provided to all driving license applicants. They guide trainees to the focal points of testing, and students will accordingly be trained on the standards on which they will be tested. Moreover, they will be a good reference for examiners to identify their roles in how best to deal with trainees and apply the provisions of traffic rules while assessing their driving skills” added Al Tayer.

Elite Trainers
Al Tayer went further to say: “RTA has trained 32 elite drivers from various institutes; 16 on light vehicles and 16 on heavy vehicles. During this training, which extended five weeks under the supervision of expert trainers from the State of Victoria, Australia, instructors received intensive training on the appropriate methods of delivering information to trainees, the correct application of driving & traffic rules, and educational methods of safe & defensive driving after obtaining the driving licenses. The programme trains participating elite instructors on handling of heavy trailer trucks so as to provide the requisite skills to Category (4) Driving License holders.

“Over the next few days, RTA will sign a pact with model driving institutes regarding training, qualifying and licensing of drivers in the emirate of Dubai. The Agreement aims to establish the respective scope of responsibilities of the RTA and Driving Institutes and tune up the service level. Such Agreement will streamline the training process to bring it in line with the standards sought for implementing the vision of the RTA to provide safe and smooth transport for all” continued Al Tayer.

The Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA reviewed the key initiatives undertaken by the RTA in upgrading drivers testing and licensing in order to enhance traffic safety and graduate competent drivers with sound defensive driving skills. “The percentage of clearing driving test sustained a remarkable drop from 50% in 2005 to 24% in 2008. Driving licenses are issued in respect of those who clear the driving test, and the number of applicants for driving licenses in 2008 reached about 196k individuals.

“RTA separated driver testing process from the training process to ensure transparency & fairness in licensing drivers. Under this process, driving examiners have become directly affiliated to the RTA and not the driving institutes. These examiners have been deployed to various institutes in accordance with the numbers of trainees and they will be rotated regularly and randomly to ensure impartiality. RTA also adopted a new model for screening driving licenses applicants enabling the examiner to evaluate the trainee in an accurate and comprehensive manner in conformity with the recommendation of the international consultant Vic Roads. All Licensing Agency examiners have been trained on the new testing system. In 2008 a group of examiners received experimental training on light vehicles, heavy vehicles, heavy buses, and motorbikes. Currently we are working on increasing the time allotted for testing drivers by 10 to 15 minutes to enable the examiner assess the level of the trainee in a fair manner and ascertain the trainee’s skills in professional driving. Examiners are also being trained on this system under the supervision of the Australian testing experts and the training is scheduled for completion next July” said Al Tayer.

Rehabilitation of Offenders
Al Tayer unveiled a package of initiatives currently being considered for implementation by the RTA as part of its 2009 plan. These include exploring the possibility of preparing of developing a specialized programme, in association with Dubai Police and Driving Institutes, to rehabilitate offending drivers who have earned accumulative traffic points that warrant confiscation of their driving licenses. Implementation of this initiative will contribute to more disciplined drivers who are compliant with driving & traffic rules and regulations. Driving licenses have to be gradually issued to novice drivers (first three years) before permanent licenses are issued in coordination with the General Department of Traffic at Dubai Police. Such an initiative will enhance the discipline and improve the driving attitudes of novice drivers.

“RTA is considering evening training sessions on some highways as part of the training process to enable fresh drivers develop the required skills needed for night driving. Studies revealed that some fresh drivers encounter huge difficulties in dealing with the vehicle and other road users on highways at night. Initiatives also include gradual issuance of driving licenses in keeping with the best global practices in this field such that the driver will be initially issued with a light driving license, and upon the lapse of a specific period the driver may obtain a driving license of a heavy vehicle or bus. The objective of this initiative is to allow the driver gain more experience in driving low-category vehicles and get a firm grip on traffic rules and regulations before applying for higher category driving license.

“Among the initiatives that will be implemented during this year is to provide training to special needs persons to obtain driving licenses. Licensing Agency is coordinating with the parties concerned with training of special needs persons in order to develop a syllabus enabling this category receive the training that enhances their security and safety” said Al Tayer in a concluding remark.

Photo: Al Tayer receiving executives of driving institutes