However the driving schools today have just one aim, i.e. to land you that license and make a quick buck in the process.
The 25 classes of half hour duration are mainly spent in dropping off the last student, and picking up the next from their respective residences. In between you are taught to point the car straight and drive, always with the assistance of the instructor on the parallel set of controls.
On checking out my daughter’s driving prowess on the eve of her driving test, I was left aghast. Here was a person ready to be let loose on the roads as a licenced driver and she didn’t know how to drive. She had no clue how to reverse park a car, or even reverse it correctly for that matter. Starting on a slope was even more frightening. Finally even the straight driving was on the same gear, as the instructor told her when to change. Nevertheless the following day, she passed the driving test like a breeze, and was thrilled to have landed herself a pukka driving licence. When I brought up the subject of my daughter’s driving ability with the driving school, they promptly suggested a refresher course on further payment.
There apparently is a connivance between the RTO and the driving school to pass all their students, irrespective of their skills. This leaves the student armed with a license to kill, herself or others.
M. Pinto, Porvorim
