THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has issued a set of guidelines for the issue of driving licence to differently-abled persons. An order from the Transport Department said differently-abled persons will be provided with a driving licence if the licensing authority is convinced the applicant is fit to drive a motor vehicle.
Once in six months, a learner’s licence test and a driving test will be conducted for differently-abled people. On such occasions, the test should be conducted on the ground floor in case the transport office does not have lift facility, or at an easily accessible place. People with monocular vision should have a minimum visibility of 6/12 and should undertake tests to prove they have 120-degree vision. If the applicant has lost eyesight, he or she should be subjected to driving test only six months after leading a normal life.
If the applicant has hearing impairments, the vehicle he or she is driving should have a symbol denoting it. Driving tests for such people should be conducted along with the regular tests and licence should be issued if they pass, says the order.
Based on the level of physical fitness, differently-abled persons should produce retrofitted vehicles or company-made invalid carriage at the time of driving test. Licences will be issued for driving vehicles altered as per the directions of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation or orthopaedic surgeon.
The licensing authority has been directed to issue licence in case the applicant is able to easily drive and control the vehicle brought for the driving test while ensuring his or her own safety and the safety or road users. Such applicants should produce a medical certificate on the extent of disability from an orthopaedic surgeon, ophthalmologist, ENT specialist of a government hospital.
If the officer conducting the test is not sure about issuing the licence, a re-test should be conducted by a team comprising another Motor Vehicle Inspector and the Joint Regional Transport Officer. If the licence is not issued, applicants can apply for a re-test after undergoing driving practice for 14 days. Such applications will be given priority during the test. If there are many applicants in the differently-abled category, tests for such people should be conducted exclusively for them on a particular day.
Transport officers have been directed to display the order prominently at all Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) and Sub RTOs. They have also been directed to provide a copy of the order to the differently-abled persons when they apply for the driving test.