By IANS,
New Delhi : The Karnataka government will soon build two more electronic driving tracks in Bangalore for skill tests and issuing licenses to ensure safe driving, a senior official said Friday.
“We will soon build two more driving tracks in the northern and eastern suburbs of the city for testing a learner’s driving skills and issuing license, as the first track in the western suburb is operating at full capacity,” state transport commissioner Bhaskar Rao said here.
Participating in a two-day conference on ‘Institutional Arrangements for Reduction in Road Fatalities’, organised by the International Road Federation (IRF), Rao said that all the 10 regional transport offices (RTOs) in the city would have modern driving tracks to ensure licenses were given only to those who pass the stringent tests.
“We plan to extend the electronic driving tracks to all the 10 RTOs in the city as many learners avoid skill tests by applying for license at other RTOs without such tracks. These modern tracks have eliminated the role of traffic police inspectors, as tests are done electronically,” Rao told about 400 road safety experts from across the world.
The various skill tests include driving reverse, uphill, parking and other movements required in the city and highways. The results are given on the spot along with a videographed CD.
“The new initiative has also eliminated the role of touts and check corruption. Though drivers are blamed for most of the accidents, the quality of roads and poor planning are equally responsible for the growing number of mishaps on our roads,” Rao said.
According to IRF chairman K.K. Kapila, India accounts for 10 percent of global road accident deaths worldwide every year, as revealed by a World Health Organisation (WHO) study.
Institutional coordination for road safety, a dedicated road safety fund, changes in the Motor Vehicle Act, vehicle design for safety, road safety through engineering measures, safety on high-speed corridors and vehicle safety devices are among the topics being deliberated at the conference to reduce fatal road mishaps.