Maharashtra's Bold New Driving Test SOPs: Enhancing Road Safety Amid Controversy

The Maharashtra Transport Commissioner released new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that require Regional Transport Offices to review motor vehicle inspectors if less than 10% of permanent licence seekers fail driving tests. This move aims to enhance road safety but has sparked criticism regarding its rigid criteria and infrastructure concerns.

The Maharashtra Transport Department is under scrutiny following the issuance of a controversial new set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The department's directive mandates Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) to review their motor vehicle inspectors if less than 10% of candidates fail their driving tests—a move some have called 'strange' and 'unjustified.'

The SOPs, issued by Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar, aim to improve road safety by adhering strictly to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. Plans are also in place to set up Automated Driving Test Tracks (ADTTs) across the state, hopefully standardizing the quality of driving tests in the long term. Meanwhile, current testing conditions, including infrastructure and facilities, have come under fire.

Implementing stricter regulations comes in the wake of alarming road accident statistics in Maharashtra, which recorded 26,922 accidents and 11,532 fatalities this year alone. Critics of the new guidelines argue that without better infrastructure, the department's focus should pivot from enforcing failure quotas to ensuring quality in driving tests.

(With inputs from agencies.)