Road safety is a persistent and well-founded concern and one of the most effective ways to improve it is through proper and rigorous training of new drivers. While we have strict road safety standards and regulations, the authorities must ensure that all laws are followed and not circumvented by some parties, such as driving schools.
The National has reported the views of a handful of experts and residents who say that driving schools need to be better regulated. They claimed that some students have been able to bypass driving school tests and that they obtained licences through connections of some sort. Additionally, it was alleged that many driving instructors were not properly qualified, engaged in dangerous road habits and that sometimes even lacked adequate knowledge of Arabic and English.
These allegations are worrying but they remain unproven. A comprehensive investigation is warranted to look into them and satisfy everyone as to how driving schools conduct business and the competence of their instructors. More to the point, there is a need for reassurance on the credibility of the licences these students obtain and their driving skills. If any of the claims of impropriety and the instructors’ incompetence are found to be valid, the authorities must take all necessary steps to deal with them.
Whether or not the allegations are confirmed, the point remains that having well-trained drivers who obey the rules of the road is just one element when dealing with the high number of accidents.
Another issue is the enforcement of existing laws, whether through more rigorous police monitoring, ticketing bad drivers or, in this case, cracking down on unqualified driving instructors who grant licences based on who the student knows. Safety on the roads begins in our driving schools and so their standards cannot be compromised.