Nearly 20K applicants from Mumbai and MMR failed driving licence test in 2022

Over 76,000 applicants failed their driving licence test in Maharashtra last year, with more than 25% from Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The failure rate is the highest in six years, prompting officials to make the tests tougher, while road safety experts have called for the process to be even more stringent. More than 1.20 crore people took driving licence tests in the state from 2017 to 2022, with 2.89 lakh failing, according to data from the transport department.

A whopping 76,975 applicants failed their driving licence test held across 50 regional transport offices (RTOs) in Maharashtra last year, making it the highest in the last six years, data from the transport department has revealed. More than 25% or 19,795 of them were from Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). This is around 1.8% of the total applicants from these regions which stood at 10,70,229.

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Considering the surge in road accidents, officials said they have made the process of getting a driving licence tougher by including questions on the Motor Vehicles Act and other traffic rules. Ironically, some of the applicants cannot even answer basis questions, they added.

However, road safety experts said the figures are low and the process must be more stringent.

Vivek Bhimanwar, Maharashtra transport commissioner, said, “After analysing the passing trends at all RTOs I have directed them not to be liberal in clearing applicants. We have received permissions for automated driving tracks at RTOs which will do away with human interface and ensure that the number of people passing the tests further comes down. Now, the tests are also held online, which rules out external tampering.”

As per data collated by the transport department, more than 1.20 crore appeared for driving licence tests across the state in six years - from 2017 to 2022, and of them, 2.89 lakh failed. The average percentage stands at 2.41. On the other hand, more than 31.96 lakh applied for licences last year, nearly a double than the previous year’s 16.49 lakh.

Among the 50 RTOs, 14 had a failure rate of less than 1% among applicants, while only six had a failure rate of more than 5%, the data shows. While the lowest is below 0.50%, the highest failure rate hovers between 7% and 8%.

“Roads and vehicles have been upgraded but there is a need to make the test tougher before granting a driving licence to an applicant. It is essential that more people fail so that they can improve their driving skills and become more sensitive to road safety. Riding a mere 500 metres should no longer be a criterion to test someone’s safe driving ability,” transport expert A V Shenoy from Mumbai Mobility Forum said.

Driving tests are conducted to assess an individual’s driving skills and knowledge of traffic rules and regulations. RTO officials also test applicants on parameters such as adjusting mirrors and seat position, taking precautions before starting the engine, and signalling while taking a turn.

However, before taking the test, applicants have to acquire a learner’s licence, which is valid for six months. The failure rate in learner’s licence tests was also high in 2022. Of the 18.80 lakh applicants, 9.23% or 1.73 lakh failed, the data has shown.

There has been a spate of road accidents in the last few weeks with the major one being the death of 13 passengers after a private bus fell into a gorge near Khandala. In 2022, there were 33,069 accidents that led to deaths of 14,883 people.