On a busy road, a motorcycle accelerates rapidly regardless of other vehicles whizzing beside it. And to top it off, it does not speed in a linear path, but decides to put up a show and paces in a criss-cross path in an S-like trail, further confusing the fellow drivers on the road.
When such incidents occur, the on-duty Traffic Police generally stop such riders for their low road etiquette. But instead of acknowledging their mistake, the riders confidently say that this was how they passed their license test.[break]
Photos: Bhashwor Ojha
DSP Pawan Giri, spokesperson of Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) says that many Traffic Police have faced such ordeal while dealing with many traffic rule violators. “The rider was definitely wrong on his part, but his statement wasn’t,” he says. According to him, the previous license trial exam where the rider was supposed to swerve between the five poles not only generated such comments but also was very unreliable.
Like Giri, many traffic experts were unsatisfied with the license trial exam. “The current license trial doesn’t observe the aptitude of any rider,” then Traffic Police Inspector Nawaraj Thapa, representative of MTPD for driving license test had commented one year back. But what took the concerned authorities so long to change the format?
“The general tendency of concerned authorities and other stakeholders is to shy away from any changes to avoid the additional responsibility that comes with it, and this must be the same reason that the unscientific license trial was practiced for years,” says DSP Giri. He adds that it was in MTPD’s initiation that the new directives was formed which paved way for the newly introduced license trial examinations.
“We had conducted a nationwide seminar of the senior Traffic Police from different districts. And through the interaction with experts, we came up with the new directives,” he says. He also emphasizes that the positive changes in the MTPD was observed after the appointment of DIG Uprendra Kant Aryal as the chief of the Division.
Though the new license trial is regarded as tough, Prashant Wasti, 24, who is looking forward to apply for a driving license, is positive about the changes. “I have heard that there is a whole new format now, which requires the riders to be acquainted with traffic rules as well. I think we should regard this as a very positive change as this will help to produce responsible riders and drivers who have good knowledge of road etiquettes,” he says.
Wasti adds that he is planning to apply for license after three months as he needs a lot of practice for the new format. “I don’t even have information about the detailed procedure,” he says.
The new license trial examination requires the two-wheelers and four-wheelers to pass through several processes before they are regarded capable of acquiring the driving license. Apart from examining the driving proficiency, the new trial system also examines the technical proficiency of the driver and presence of mind through seven different steps in the examination process. The two-wheelers are required to finish the exam within the time frame of five minutes while four-wheelers within10 minutes.
Earlier, the two-wheeler trial exams also had different provisions for males and females. While the distance between the poles for male riders was 2.7 meters, the same for females was 2.8 meters. Also, regardless of appearing trial exams in moped, scooter or motorcycles, the candidate was regarded eligible for all three.
In the present trial, both of these cases have been corrected. The provision of acquiring separate license for scooter and motorcycles was implemented around six months back while the new format requires both male and female riders to follow the same rules.
Susmita Pradhan, 23, is also happy with the changes. Like many female riders, she wasn’t happy with the special provision for the females. “It was definitely unnecessary, I’m happy that we got rid of it,” she says.
“There can be some differences in the width of the ramp but it will not be based on the basis of gender but on the basis of the size of the vehicle,” confirms DSP Giri.
In addition, to curb the modifications on the vehicles, DoTM has managed their own vehicles for the trial examinations. According to DSP Giri, this will be beneficial in two ways. First, there will be uniformity of the vehicle and second, this will help control the rampant pricing of hiring vehicles from various private driving institutes. “While candidates were paying Rs 500- 1500 in the past, we have only been charging Rs 47 for two-wheelers and Rs 93 for four-wheeler,” he says.
Though Pradhan is positive about the new format, she is now worried about the practicing for the license trial exam. “When the license trial exam required to swerve between the five poles, I could easily practice anywhere in a nearby open space. But now, I don’t know how will I practice riding over 8-shaped path and through multiple breakers,” she says.
She is also worried that now driving institutes will charge high prices for providing the practice area. “Earlier, they used to charge Rs 100 for practicing around the poles for half day. Now with the additional props, I wonder what price they’re going to quote,” adds Pradhan.
The concerned authorities, on the other hand, say that the candidate just need to be vigilant and should practice what they used to write in the written exams in the past. “Family members can help with the first-hand techniques of driving but to be a competent driver, one must enroll in driving institutes,” says DSP Giri.
He adds that apart from learning to drive responsibly, a competent driver is also required to know about the basic mechanics of the vehicle. “You should at least know the basic process of how the vehicle works, so that if you come across any mechanical fault, you will identify it before any heavy damage,” he says adding that though the new directives for the new trial exams is commendable, there are still room for improvements.
While MTPD officials are certain that the new trial examination is going to lessen the number of road accidents, the number of candidates passing the examinations have also dropped significantly. This week, only four candidates out of 37 were successful in acquiring the driving license for four-wheelers.
The new rules for license trial have garnered a lot of public as well as media attention. The strict rules have been welcomed by the majority but due to the bad records in the past where brokers had an undoubted interference in the license processing, many are still concerned whether these rules are going to last long. But with the gradual improvements in license application and trial examinations, and with strict rules not only for candidates but also for concerned authorities, amateur drivers seem to have very less chances to pass through the tough screening process.
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