The top transportation and security authorities of China have announced changes in the rules and process of getting a driver's license, with the aim of cutting red tape for driving training and applying for a license, according to a report by China Daily.
On Thursday, the ministries of transportation and public security jointly released a guideline on regulation changes about training and tests for license candidates. There will be a pilot program that will be used in certain areas to test the new rules, which allow people to apply for the test and complete the necessary training without attending a driving school.
Currently, candidates must rely on a driving school to apply for a test after receiving the required training from these schools.
"Irregularities and corruption have been found in driving training and tests," said Liu Zhao, director of the Public Security Ministry's Traffic Management Bureau. "In some cases, driving training schools fail to provide high-quality lessons, but they collude with the issuing authority of driver's licenses and agree to under-the-table deals."
Liu added that the number of candidates has increased by 15 percent annually over the past 10 years. However, some training services cannot reach the standards set by the tests.
China has 13,000 driving training schools, 750,000 coaches and 620,000 coach vehicles as of the end of last year.
The guidelines will significantly increase the liability of driving schools. Now there will be a review of the issuing process of drivers if they are held responsible for a major traffic accident within five years of the issuing date of their license. The schools can then be held accountable if it is found that they helped the drivers cheat the exam.
The new policies will also allow people to use their own vehicles to practice driving, given that they are supervised by a coach and approved coaching equipment is installed in the vehicles. Practice driving must also be conducted along designated routes.