Tougher Rules for New Iranian Drivers

EghtesadOnline: Traffic Police has rewritten the rules for issuing new driving licenses for light motor vehicles, and the directive will be issued to driving schools in the near future.

News ID: ۷۷۶۵۷۹

28 May 2017

The new bylaw will come into effect as of June 22 and will impose "tougher restrictions" on new drivers, according to a report by AvalKhodro, a local automotive website.

Traffic Police Chief General Taqi Mehri said new drivers who hold a driving license for light motor vehicles cannot drive alone for at least three months after the license is issued.

The license holders must also be accompanied at all times while driving by a holder of a valid license. And, the latter should have a license for at least twelve months, according to Financial Tribune.

During the three-month probation, new drivers are also banned from driving between 10 pm and 5 am either alone or accompanied.

Additionally, novices can drive only within city limits. They may not drive beyond 25 km in suburban areas.

According to the new regulations, in case of an accident in which the rookie driver is at fault, the license will be confiscated by Traffic Police.

The offending drivers' license will be returned provided they attend 24 and 16 hours of theoretical and practical classes, respectively.

The new rules appear to be aimed at curbing the number of accidents leading to loss of life, particularly among young people who normally try to bend the road rules.

Iran has one of the highest rates of road accidents in the world.

Annually, over 20,000 people are killed in road mishaps, with men comprising 75% of the figure, and mostly in the age group 25-40.

More than 800,000 people are injured in road crashes annually. About one-third of all road deaths occur among young adults under the age of 30.

Although such rules should help reduce the large number of traffic accidents, providing adequate road safety demands greater effort in raising other relevant standards, including safety of locally-produced vehicles .