Make driving tests more stringent: DGP to dept

Bhubaneswar: The state director general of police (DGP), Sunil Kumar, has advised the transport department to make driving tests more stringent to improve the quality of drivers. “Though the quality of roads and vehicles have improved significantly, the same cannot be said about people’s driving skill. Thus, driving tests need to be made tougher so that only the deserving people get licences, which, in turn, will hopefully reduce the number of accidents,” Bansal said on the sidelines of a road safety week event here on Thursday.
The DGP had made a similar recommendation during a recent road safety council meeting where he proposed to introduce a graduated driving licence system in the state. “I had suggested that the applicants should be put through different stages of tests so that they learn the skill in phases. Under the graduated system, there are stages through which the applicants will have to pass. Initially, they would get a learner’s license that will restrict them from driving on highways. After assessing their performance, they would be given a provisional licence and finally a regular one,” Bansal said.
At present, the driving test requires an applicant to first appear for an online test at the regional transport office.
Upon clearing the test, the applicant is given a learner’s licence. The regular license is given only if the applicant clears a driving test within six months from the date of issuance of the learner’s licence.