Are you smart enough for your driving licence?

When driving and using a mobile phone, the driver;

A: reacts slower than usual

B: must look farther ahead

C: must be more attentive

Learner drivers will consistently make good driving decisions;

A: straight away because they have good reflexes

B: after a few driving lessons

C: only after a lot of experience and practice.

When aiming for a driving licence in Dubai you will sooner or later have to be able to answer these questions correctly. Or at least 23 out of the 35 questions that you are asked when doing the theory test. An application has been made available by the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) to practise these questions before stepping into the examination room.

“Obtaining a driving licence is no longer a luxury but a life necessity dictated by the requirements of the job and earning a living. Therefore, we opted to add this service to the lineup of RTA smart app services to rid clients of any confusion when going through steps of obtaining a driver licence, be it through a direct test or emulating the tests awaiting driver licence applicants,” said Hussain Al Saffar, Director of Drivers Training and Qualification, at the Licensing Agency of RTA.

A selection of 35 questions with multiple choice answers should prepare the driver-to-be from the ease of a smart phone. “This smart app can be used in both iPhone and Android smartphones,” notes Hussein.

The application is part of the general RTA application, which gathers several functions. Therefore, the user should first download or upgrade this app. The knowledge test can be found under Driver Services, and is available in Arabic, English or Urdu for all licence categories.

“The questions are a snapshot of the actual test,” explained Hussein. They are the same questions, but a small selection of the question bank, which counts 1,000 questions. We have added some of the most difficult questions to the application, so the user will be well prepared for the test.”

The question bank has been updated twice since it was developed in 2010, he continues to explain. “Each time we updated the bank we added about 30 per cent. Some questions are removed, such as those that prove to be tricky or difficult, or have spelling mistakes.”

Students score best in the light motor theory test, where seven out of ten pass on average. Practising the test will help as the application will calculate the score showing correct and incorrect answers achieved.

The RTA said earlier that it plans to launch more than 200 new applications within the next three years. In line with these efforts, the Licensing Agency has started diverting an array of services from front-end centers in Dubai to its smart channels.

Starting June 1 (Sunday) services relating to the renewal and issuance of driver licences, issuance of replacement/lost or damaged driver licences, and the issuance of experience certificates and ‘to Whom It May Concern’ certificates will no longer be available at most of the customer service centers.

The mentioned services can be enjoyed through channels such as the RTA website (www.rta.ae), the call center (8008080), trusted agents (driving institutes), and eye-sight testing centers (Yateem Optician, Grand Optics, Magrabi Optical, Sharp Vision, Dubai, Emirates, and Barakat).

Furthermore, four main customer service centers will continue to provide the services - Al Manara Center, Al Tawar Center, Tasjeel Center, and the JBR Service Center - in order to make the service available to some community segments who are not in a position to interact through other channels. Self-service kiosks and smart telephone apps will be provided at a later stage in a gradual manner, explained Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO of the Licensing Agency.

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