The program aims at upgrading the driving training syllabus in Dubai driving institutes
Dubai (Roads & Transport Authority) - Fahad Al Maamari: The Licensing Agency at Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will shortly embark on a process, through its Drivers Training and Qualification Dep't, of standardizing driving training programs at the five driving institutes in Dubai, namely Belhasa Driving Institute, Emirates Driving Institute, Dubai Driving Center, Al Ahli Driving Center and Galadari Motor Driving Center.
Ahmed Hashem Bahrouzyan, CEO of RTA Licensing Agency, stated that the Drivers Training and Qualification Dep't was in the process of preparing an initiative to design the first motor drivers training syllabus for drivers of vehicles, buses, trucks and motorbikes. The syllabus will clearly underline the axes, skills and experiences that would be tackled in the context of training of drivers studying at the five driving institutes. He said the syllabus was intended to support these institutes, driving instructors and students in both theoretical and practical classes.
Bahrouzyan emphasized that the syllabus was a combination of various models based on the best world practices. Due consideration to the many causes of road accidents within the entire geographic area of the Dubai Emirate as well as the challenges of making Dubai a secure city free of road traffic accidents in realization of the RTA's vision of "Safe and Smooth Transport for All".
He said: "The objective of standardizing syllabi is to improve the safety and conduct of new drivers on Dubai roads in harmony with RTA vision to provide Safe and Smooth Transport for All, in addition to upgrading the calibre of education and training in the five institutes to ensure graduation of model drivers who can lead their way on the roads of Dubai and the UAE before obtaining driving licenses; a measure which is posed to enhance traffic safety".
Bahrouzyan pointed out: "It is our intention in 2010 to enhance the syllabus in collaboration with all strategic partners, foremost of whom is Dubai Police General H.Q. The syllabus is a mix of practical and theoretical learning depending on step-by-step modules beginning with easy lessons through into more difficult ones, the aim being to enable drivers acquire all required driving skills and upgrade trainees from simple tasks to the more complicated ones through a number of training stages. Each stage will involve new tasks and various types of roads with particular focus on the fundamental concepts of speed, safety boundaries and communication with other road users. It is necessary that the syllabi also contribute to drawing the attention of trainees to insecure driving behaviours and driving impact on the environment. The syllabus will similarly focus on all cases of daily driving expected to occur on Dubai roads before obtaining driving license. The training syllabus is learning-based with its mechanism being decided by the driving institutes themselves".
He added: "The syllabus is meant to be implemented for an experimental period involving a group of driving students wishing to obtain driving license. The drivers training syllabi are envisaged to meet the needs of all students at driving institutes in a fair and comprehensive manner. There is a characteristic challenge in Dubai of there being wide variations among students in terms of nationalities, age, social and economic status, previous driving experiences and attitudes towards road and driving safety. Subjects of over 120 countries receive driving training in Dubai annually with some of them having previous driving licenses obtained from abroad, while others were sheer beginners.
"At the present time, the drivers training program content depends considerably on the practical driving test at RTA. Through these syllabi we seek to define and explain the training content in more detail so that all students can obtain the minimum required of training and experiences in various road environments, circumstances and traffic density. For example, there is a requirement for light multi-duty vehicle (LMV) training syllabus. RTA's Licensing Agency works hand in hand with the five institutes towards making these syllabi a reality. Pioneering projects to practically test the syllabi will be carried out within the next few months", Bahrouzyan concluded.
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© Press Release 2010
