KUWAIT CITY, April 7: Director of the Traffic Awareness Department at the General Traffic Department Colonel Fahd Al-Essa announced that the General Traffic Department’s Education Sector launched the new driving test vehicle system yesterday in all testing sections in the six governorates. He revealed that this step was taken after the contract for the modern test vehicles was awarded to “Super Service” company. Colonel Al-Essa explained that the new test vehicles represent a major shift towards modernization of the Education Department’s testing sections.

These vehicles are equipped with advanced technologies and are much better than the vehicles that were previously rented out by driving schools to testers. In addition, the new company has set up dedicated waiting rooms for testers in the education departments that are fully equipped with modern amenities and staffed by specialized employees to manage the testing procedures. Previously, the testers had to wait outside in various weather conditions amidst chaos and long lines to access the old test vehicles, which were rented from driving schools.

These driving schools are no longer present at the test locations. They have been allowed to conduct driving training, but only at their own premises, not near the test departments. The new vehicles are equipped with modern cameras placed at all angles to capture the tester’s performance during the test and to document any mistakes made in case of a dispute over the test results. The vehicles are also fitted with an internal microphone connected to a wireless device, which allows the examiner, either on the test field or in the office, to communicate with the tester and guide them through the field test and its requirements. The modern technologies in the vehicles will help reduce the burden on driving examiners, who were previously stationed in the test areas under various weather conditions and exposed to potential risks. This was particularly crucial as some individuals take their driving tests for the first time.

In the past, traffic accidents had occurred in the test areas, involving either the testers or the equipment used during the tests. With the introduction of the new vehicles, the Education Department has instructed all test section heads to prohibit citizens and residents from entering the testing sections with their own vehicles, as was previously allowed. The only exception is for individuals with special needs, who are legally permitted to drive vehicles with special specifications. Colonel Al-Essa added that the prices for the test vehicles, whether private, public, construction, or motorcycles, have been determined in coordination with the General Traffic Department.