Driving tests off driving tracks!

Driving tests off driving tracks!
By M Keertiprasad, DH News Service, Bangalore:
There are 32 lakh vehicles and 10 Regional Transport Office (RTO)s in Bangalore, but there is only one driving track for the entire City for testing the skills of a driving licence (DL) aspirant.

After 30 days of obtaining vehicle learning licence, applicants can obtain DL by undergoing the driving test before jurisdictional transport inspector. But numerous DL aspirants in the City are being put to test on roads near respective RTOs since they don’t have designated tracks. Only the Rajajinagar RTO has a driving track at Peenya.

For example, Jayanagar RTO conducts DL tests in the park road behind the Jayanagar police station. Traffic on this road is very thin, and riders and drivers can pass the tests easily as their knowledge of traffic rules is not tested to the full here.

Further, the entire procedure of granting the DL is very simple and it does not contribute much for guiding motorists’ conduct on roads.

LL procedure
You can get an LL by answering some simple questions like 'At what distance should indicators be switched on?’ ‘What does a plus mark post indicate? ‘How to make use of the zebra line? An LL aspirant has to answer a multiple choice question paper in which there will be 15 questions. Of these, answering nine is enough to pass.

Now, the transport department has introduced oral interviews. In this process, the transport inspector asks 10 to 15 questions. If the candidate gives right answers, he will be granted the LL.

Ignorance
Such negligible knowledge of traffic rules makes motorists a major contributing segment to the traffic mess. It’s no surprise many motorists carrying DLs make maximum use of horn in a ‘no horn’ zone, park at ‘no parking’ spots, and take u turns where they are prohibited.

Officers’ reaction
A senior officer of the department said: “Many two-wheeler riders contribute to the traffic jams since their knowledge regarding traffic rules and signs is very less.”

He said the state road transport corporation uses an electronic driving track system while recruiting drivers. Any error by the driver is automatically recorded. Similar mechanism should be adopted for conducting tests for granting the DL, he suggested.

He also felt driving tracks should be set up near RTOs.

He also suggested setting up of a separate wing for granting DLs. Frequent revision of procedures is also necessary.

This will make for a convenient traffic system, he felt.