New guidelines will come into effect from July 1 

New Delhi: In a bid to cut down on long queues and extended waiting periods at Regional Transport Offices (RTOs), the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has notified rules for accredited driving training centres where candidates will be provided high-quality driving courses. 

Once candidates clear their driving course tests, they will be granted an exemption from driving tests while obtaining a driving licence from an RTO. The new guidelines will come into effect from July 1 and this will allow private driving training schools to function, who have been granted accreditation either by the State Transport Authority or the Central Government.  

The Ministry stated that accreditation will be given to centres that meet the criteria of space, driving track, IT and biometric system and carry out the training as per prescribed syllabus. The move from the Centre has come to tackle the high number of road accident-related deaths that take place every year. With these new guidelines, the Ministry aims to increase skills and train the drivers.

What are the new guidelines?

Training centres will be granted accreditation for a period of five years at the end of which they can get it renewed as well.

For Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs), the duration of driving course will be 29 hours in a span of maximum four weeks from the date of commencement of the course. The course will be divided in two parts: Theory and practice.

For Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs), candidates undergoing training to drive medium or HMVs at such centres will be trained across 38 hours in a span of six weeks. Similar to the LMV course, the HMV course too will be divided into theory and practice.

Another key highlight of this course is training for how one should behave while driving. In this, candidates will undergo training for ethical and courteous behaviour with other road users while driving.