From January 1, 2009, driving schools will increase mandatory driving hours to 50, and this has already sparked heated debate. The traffic police see the change as necessary for road safety, while instructors warn training will become noticeably more expensive, by an average of 7000 rubles. Theory will be reduced, and more changes to the license category system are expected in the future.
As early as January 1, 2009, the number of mandatory driving hours will increase to 50.The debate is heating up seriously: is this necessary?
This proposal is supported by the state traffic safety inspectorate. Compliance with the order will be monitored by a Ministry of Education commission. For violations, a driving school may have its license revoked. Some instructors have already stated that such innovations will lead to an increase in the cost of training.
At one of the city’s most spacious training grounds, it is impossible to walk or drive through. There are more than a dozen cars here at the same time.
The future 50 hours are not a way for driving schools to make more money. Specialists say there is a perfectly logical explanation for this figure. Abroad, driving is taught for much longer. And this yields positive results. "This comes from the methodologies of foreign countries, European countries. Standards in Europe range from 30 to 50 hours. Within this range. And ours, simply taking into account that there are more traffic accidents on Russian roads and many people die, chose the upper limit," said Alexey Lyskov, head of the Irkutsk United Technical School. However, the increase in the cost of driving courses will be significant. On average by 7,000 rubles.
The changes will affect not only practical training, but also the theoretical block. The number of classroom hours, on the contrary, will be reduced by almost half. For example, much less time will be devoted to studying the structure of the car.
The increase in practical hours in driving courses is not the last innovation. Starting in 2011, the familiar five categories will be divided into subgroups. Other new changes are also expected.