Neither massive traffic jams nor drivers with road rage is able to stop Chinese people from getting behind the wheel. Last year Nanjing granted 262,000 driving licenses, bringing the total number of licensed drivers in the city to 2 million. To get a driving license in China one has to pass two computerised road rules tests that require a ton of rote memorisation and two different behind-the-wheel driving tests.
While many dread going to driving schools where having short-tempered instructors roaring at you cannot be more common, it is mandatory by Chinese law to do so before taking the exams.
But that is to change from today on. A new law that allows citizens in Nanjing along with those from other 15 cities to learn driving without the necessity of attending driving schools is coming into effect today on 1st April 2016 (not a April Fool’s joke).
The actual implementations are much more complicated than it sounds. There are six steps one has to follow before taking exams with everyone else;
1. Go to Automobile Administrative Office Center with your ID card and physical examination forms.
2. Fill out a form. Check the box that says “Self-taught Participants”.
3. Modify the car you use for practicing, according the exact requirements given by the AOC, which involves adding an additional brake on the passenger’s seat and two mirrors on the front wings.
“We have 14 recommended 4S stores in Nanjing where you can get a trainer’s car modification but you can also get it done in other places as long as the car passes the examination,” said Jin Cancan, a traffic bureau official.
4. Go back to the AOC to fill in several more forms and get a trainee sticker for the car.
More ludicrously，There are also specific requirements as who should be your instructor and where to practice.
Firstly, the person who acts as the instructor can be a friend or family but must have at least 5 years of driving experience without a record of breaking major traffic rules. If any accident should occur during the training, the instructor has to take full responsibility.
There should be at least a 3 months gap until the instructor can go on teaching another person with the same car; they can only have a maximum of four trainees in one year. Using the car for the teaching business purpose is forbidden.
For the second part of the test, one has to rent indoor spaces of driving schools. Now there are the driving schools offering this service, charging a rate at ¥120 per hour. As for the third part, learners must only practice on 19 routes, approved by the AOC in a fixed time frame which excludes midnight to 5am and during rush hour (7:00am-8:30am; 16:30pm-18:30pm).
Until today, four brave ones have tested the water of this new policy. According to one, who spent ¥1,000 on car modifications; ¥1,200 on renting space at a driving school which charges ¥120 per hour plus petrol fees and registration, the whole process actually cost him more than attending the driving school which normally charges around ¥3,000.
But this Nanjinger said he still prefer getting driving lessons from a friend to being bullied by the infamous driving instructors of Nanjing. In addition, the time is more flexible as there is no restriction on practicing hours before taking the exam.
This new law has put a strain on driving schools and coaches who once dominated the market. Some driving schools have seen a drop in tuition over the past two months.
“They are not monopolies now. They have to raise their service standard in order to attract more trainees”, said a local in Nanjing.
Some are concerned about the potential danger posed by these “self-taught” trainees. Judging by the daily smash-ups and blatant disregard for even basic traffic rules on China’s roadways, maybe it is the best to bring back the good old days when millions get around on bicycle.
