Lack of skilled drivers is one of the major enablers that leads to alarmingly high numbers of road accidents in India every year. You see, learning to drive a vehicle is one thing. Knowing the traffic rules is another. And keeping the vehicle healthy is another vital parameter. Only the perfect bonding of those three attributes can result in a cautious and law-abiding driver. That, at least, is true in an ideal world. Since that doesn’t exist, successfully completing a driver’s training course at one of the driver training centres can act as the real catalyst to mould them together.

The driver training centres have come a long way from where they were a few years ago. And a vital key to that improvement has been the introduction of new and improved rules and regulations from time to time. Now, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India (MoRTH) has issued fresh guidelines to all accredited driver training centres. Theoretically, they should help train better and make an additional route for gaining a driver’s license without giving a test at an RTO (Regional Transport Office). Here’s what they are:

• The premises must have simulators for aspirants to practice.
• There must be a dedicated driving test track.
• The centres should be equipped to provide remedial and refresher courses, as per the requirements under the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988.
• The facilities should be able to provide industry-specific specialised training as well.

Since RTOs are under immense pressure for testing and then issuing driver’s licenses, MoRTH has created a way to ease that out. It says that all candidates passing the test at any accredited driver training centres will be exempted from the driving test mandate when applying for a driving license. That, in turn, will help ease the workload on RTOs.

MoRTH has directed all accredited driver training centres to comply with the new rules from July 1, 2021.