One out of three fail Dubai driving test every day

The rest have to shell out approximately Dh820 for the additional test and the eight mandatory classes.

Dubai — Indian national Don Joe Martin, an engineering student, spent Dh7,250 to get his driving licence after four final test attempts.

“The first time I failed, I had 14 minor mistakes and no ‘immediate fail’ mistakes. The second time, I made an ‘immediate fail’ mistake while changing lanes, right onto the path of a van at full speed which made my inspector jump onto his brakes. The third time again, it was due to minor mistakes.”

At least 70 per cent of Dubai’s driving licence aspirants can relate to Martin’s story. According to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), an average of only 630 of the 1,800 students who attempt the road test daily pass it. The rest have to attempt it again and it does not come cheap, with a fee of Dh820 for eachadditional test.

Waiting period

Due to the high demand for classes, students have to wait for two to three weeks to get a call from the institute after registration.

“I registered for the classes on April 15,” said Indian national Priju Prakash. “I am waiting for the institute to call me for the theory classes, which, from what I understand, has a waiting period of at least three to four weeks.”

For working residents like Prakash, the class timings are a major setback. “I have to register for night classes, which start at 9pm and continue till 11pm. The weekend classes are very expensive.”

Inspectors’ state of mind

Many learners assume that passing a road test depends on the “mood” of the driving inspector and the performance of other test takers in the car.

“Testing systems can’t be called fair or unfair. It’s fair in some aspects and not so fair in many others. Yes, it is totally based on luck and the inspector’s state of mind at that moment,” Prakash said.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com