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693,443 applicants fail driving test

DUBAI — Only 195,378 of the 888,821 driving licence applications received by the Dubai Police General Administration of Traffic in the past three years were cleared, while the remaining 693,443 applicants failed the test since they had applied for the driving test without being aware of the basic driving skills.

Brigadier Engineer Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen, Director of the Traffic General Administration, said that in 2002, as many as 229,388 submitted applications after taking driving lessons in various driving schools operating in Dubai. Only 37,721 applicants passed the driving test while 191,667 were asked to repeat the driving test.

“These figures do not represent individual applications since a person may have applied for driving licence earlier and failed, and was applying again. Since last month, all the driving licence applicants have been routed through the four attested driving institutes including Emirates Institute, Galadari, Belhasa and Dubai International, for their driving lessons. People who already have driving licence issued by other countries can go for the driving test directly without having to go for driving lessons at the driving institutes,” he said.

Major Ali Abdul Rahman Saab, Head of the Driving Test Section at the Traffic Administration of Deira, who is also supervising the process of transferring all applications to the driving institutes, said under the new arrangement, the basic process remains the same. The applicants, however, have the choice of approaching the General Administration of Traffic or apply directly with the four attested driving institutes.

Major Saab warned that Dubai Police would not be patronising towards the four attested driving institutes in case of any violations against applicants, and said the driving institutes have to abide by the traffic standards and regulation set by the General Traffic Administration.

• UAE