Remedial training centre for erring drivers opened in Ernakulam

Focus on attitudinal change, lane discipline, and parking skills

The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has opened a remedial training centre for drivers whose licences were suspended following accidents, rash and negligent driving, and for other traffic offences.

The first such class began at a hall attached to the driving-simulator room of the Ernakulam Regional Transport Office (RTO), on Wednesday. “The centre was established as part of efforts to prevent road accidents and to ensure streamlined flow of vehicles. Suspension of driving licence, fines, and other measures are more of a punishment. They ought to go hand in hand with remedial training, so that the root cause of rule violations is addressed. Emphasis will be given to training attendees in defensive driving,” said P.M. Shabeer, Ernakulam Regional Transport Officer.

Retired Joint RTO Adarshkumar G. Nair, who used to lead similar remedial classes for drivers, will lead the sessions to be held on Wednesdays.

The remedial classes will go hand in hand with efforts under way to improve the quality of training offered by driving schools. They include attitudinal change and focus on the need to adhere to lane discipline and parking skills, sources said.

Faced with paucity of dedicated land, MVD personnel have been constrained to issue driving licences after just a road test. Thus, a little attention goes into testing candidates’ skills at lane discipline and parking in reverse gear. The training curriculum needs such changes, including on sharing the road with fellow motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians, while a full-fledged driver training centre is needed in Ernakulam, where the maximum number of vehicles are registered in the State, they added.

Regular training classes for drivers of cargo and public transport vehicles had been discontinued for non-allocation of adequate funds. This has been attributed to road safety funds being diverted for other purposes.

Training is imparted the informal way, with the help of stories. Attendees are keen to have such classes at least every year, since it considerably helps improve their driving skills. They are treated as having erred in driving, rather than as rule offenders, Mr. Nair said.