Driving Schools: Laws and Regulations

As per a survey conducted in Mumbai, the increasing numbers of road accidents are a result of sub-standard driving schools in the city. Therefore, the need of the hour is close vigil and regulation of the innumerable driving schools. In fact, traffic experts also agree that strict actions, such as showcause notices, are a must to check the wrong practices of inferior quality driving schools.

Regulations on Driving Schools as per Motor Vehicles Act

The central government sets rules for regulating and licensing driving schools, which are implemented by the respective state governments. Some laws pertaining to regulating driving schools include:

• Licensing of driving schools, which include providing funds, revocation and renewal of licenses, and their supervision
• Driving license form, application forms and details of information to be furnished
• The fees and eligibility conditions for obtaining each type of license
• Petitions against orders for revoking licenses, refusal to grant or renew licenses.
• Conditions that must be fulfilled by a person to set up and maintain a driving school; the suitability of a premise for imparting motor driving training.
• Type, duration and content of courses mandatory for ensuring efficient training and instruction
• Types of equipment and apparatus, such as dual control-equipped vehicles, that are required for imparting effective driving instructions.
• The professional and educational qualifications necessary for a person to impart motor driving instructions
• Inspection of motor driving schools to check their equipment, motor vehicles and apparatus to ascertain their adherence to rules
• The need for driving schools to maintain records
• Financial stability of driving schools
• Check the driving certificates issued by driving schools, the form in which they are issued and the requirements for issuing them
• Any other matter that ensures proper implementation of rules is also considered.
• The Central government may also exempt, totally or partially, certain classes of driving schools from the provisions of this section, if it is deemed necessary or expedient.

To ensure proper execution of these rules, the government must:

• Ensure that professional drivers have at least six weeks of training at a preferably government-run driving school. The instructors must also be adept at imparting information about traffic rules and regulations and motor mechanism and maintenance. This also includes imparting defensive driving to students.
• The police must regularly supervise and conduct tests for professional driving school instructors to ensure that schools with qualified instructors are given the seal “Approved by the government.”