The pass rate of driving learners goes up after automation of tests

Anybody and everybody who got a driving license in Qatar through local schools will have tales to say about how difficult it was to realise their dream.

Many may recall how they had to pass countless hours of suspense just to know whether they have passed or not. Sometimes, but not always, the mood of the officer conducting the test would determine whether you passed or not.

But recently, after the Traffic Department automated the ‘Parking and L’ tests, the number of complaints has gone down significantly, reports Gulf Times. Now, there is little room for any complaint of unfairness in evaluation from trainees.

A number of driving school operators, instructors and trainees opined that the process could be considered 100% fair and there was no room for subjective evaluation.

Omar Kablu, director of Al Khebra Driving School, told local Arabic daily Arrayah that the new system was tested by the Traffic Department three years ago in co-operation with the schools.

It is based on land sensors and surveillance cameras inside the vehicle used for the test and outside it. The whole process throughout the test is recorded. If the trainee is successful in the tests, he or she would be cleared for the next step, the road test.

However, if the trainee could not show his mastery over the manoeuvers, the land sensors would give a loud beep, indicating that he has failed in the attempt.

Sources at various schools around the country stressed that the success rates of the Parking and L tests have considerably gone up since the introduction of the new technology.

Besides, this has encouraged new trainees to enroll, they said. However, the delay in road tests is a source of grievance for many, as it takes a minimum of one month and many times more, to get scheduled for a road test.

Due to the positive outcome of introducing electronic tests for Parking and L, many hope for the application of a similar technology for road tests too.

However, inquiries made among a number of schools found highly different views on this topic, with several of them branding it as impractical. Some stressed that the road test should remain as person-monitored because actual road driving was to a great extend a human experience and it varied from person to person.