Driving license in Bangladesh

A non-professional driver's license of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, widely known as BRTA, is the authority to issue driver's licenses in Bangladesh.^[1] BRTA, stationed in 32 districts among the 62 administrative circles, at the authority of Ministry of Communication and under the Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1983, regulates particular process and authorizes any person intending to drive motor vehicles. It provides the facilities to hold thorough driving tests those determine if an applicant is able to abide by certain rules and get the license to drive motor vehicle or not.^[2]

Applying for a License

BRTA describes according to Section-3 of Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1983,^[3]

To drive a motor vehicle in a public place every one must have driving license. To obtain a driving license one should hold a learner driving license before appearing the driving test. Application for the learner's license to be submitted to the licensing authority in the prescribed form along with related papers and fees. An applicant not being a foreign national must be able to read and write either Bengali or English. Successful candidate of the driving test have to submit application in the prescribed form to the licensing authority along with the related papers & fees.

The Section-4 also states the minimum age to apply for a non-professional license is 18 and a person has to be 20 to apply of a professional license. Thus nobody of under 18-years of age can drive a motor vehicle in Bangladesh and nobody under 20-years age can have it as a profession.^[4]

Vehicles are set into seven categories like H (heavy), M (medium), L (light), C (motorcycles), T (three-wheelers), P (PSV) and X (others).^[5]

Driving Test

Application form for learner's license. Obtaining a learner's license is the first stage to get an official license.

The procedure of achieving a driving license includes with specific tests^[6]

• First a candidate has to apply for a learner’s license. A learner’s license is with what he or she can get in touch with an instructor and drive a motor vehicle solely for learning purpose. The learner’s license declares a date for the candidate to sit in the driving test to be held by BRTA.

• The candidate has to report to the BRTA station where he will be through a thorough driving test. The test includes with viva and practical tests. The instructor may ask questions on basic issues of a generic vehicle or traffic regulations.^[7] The practical test includes with driving through marked areas without any deviation, in more than one gears. Some tests also include with driving in a slope and emphasizes on driving in reverse gear.

• Scores in viva and practical test are announced and the instructor decides whether the candidate deservers a license or not. A result if officially published in other date.

• If the candidate passes in the test, is given an official authorization to drive a vehicle until he receives the license card in another announced date some months after the declaration of results.^[8] If the candidate fails, the learner’s license still does not expire and he or she is given a new date to sit for another series of tests.

Significance

Along with passport, official or academic identity cards and other major certifications, driver's license is considered as a strong reference for one's personal identification in Bangladesh. Like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, a driver's license is a standard form of identification in Bangladesh. A person having a driver's license in Bangladesh can avoid carrying a collection of additional certificates to prove his identity to different government or non-government agencies.

Penalties

Any law enforcer including the police, Rapid Action Battalion, Armed Police Battalion or military personnel in special duties are authorized to ask for driving license if that specific driver is found to violate or being subjected to violation of any of the traffic or other laws while driving a vehicle. However only the police is authorized to seize license and other authorization documents of vehicles and then file cases against the violators if necessary. The license can be held to be given in exchange of specific fines or can be permanently seized as per the laws.

Hi-Tech Driving Licences

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority has taken a initiative to make all the drivers licences high-tech, so that the step of identification in the police network easier, it will have the drivers' identification data in a chip. It will have records of the driver's photograph, fingerprints, signature etc. ^[9]

Criticism

Throughout, Bangladesh there are scores of minor drivers who drive cars illegally without proper driving licences. Also, a lot of drivers hold fake licences obtained from corrupt BRTA officials. Numerous drivers maneuver vehicles without any driving licence, or they may be expired. In cities like Dhaka and Chittagong, teens as young as 14/15 drive illegally for "fun". Lack of proper law enforcement and lack of implementation by the Bangladesh Police has led to this.

See also

• Ministries of Bangladesh
• Government of Bangladesh

External links

• National Web Portal of Bangladesh
• Bangladesh Road Transport Authority
• Application Forms

References

1. ^ ACTIVITIES Bangladesh Road Transport Authority
2. ^ ACTIVITIES, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority
3. ^ Driving License, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority
4. ^ Activities, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority
5. ^ Vehicle Class, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority
6. ^ At a glance, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority
7. ^ Traffic rules, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority
8. ^ At a glance, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority
9. ^ http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=205259