Iraq zooms ahead with new driving permits

First Published: 2010-12-09

Iraqis signing up for new licensing system that authorities hope will bring order to chaotic traffic.

Middle East Online

By Prashant Rao - BAGHDAD

Vehicle safety on Iraq's streets remains tenuous at best Dawood Salman clutches the steering wheel and stares ahead as he nervously accelerates toward something only a few Iraqis have: a valid driving licence. The 27-year-old is among a handful of Iraqis who are signing up for a new post-invasion licensing system that authorities hope will bring order to the chaotic traffic that has resembled a video game since 2003. "Baghdad roads are very scary for someone learning to drive because of all the traffic jams -- it's frustrating and difficult to learn here," Salman says at the Maysaloon driving school in eastern Baghdad. "But introducing (new) driving licences is a good step... I'm convinced that 30 to 40 percent of the people on the streets either don't know how to drive, or drive too fast." The new driving licences are part of a bid by Iraqi authorities to restore some method to the madness of Iraq's streets, which widely range from drivers ploughing the wrong way down a one-way street to the often arbitrary adherence to traffic lights, on the rare occasions that they work. While motorists were required to take driving tests and obtain licences under the regime of now-executed Saddam Hussein, that system collapsed after the 2003 US-led invasion. And the number of vehicles on the streets has more than doubled since then, creating situations where it can take several hours to traverse a handful of kilometres (miles) in Baghdad. Around 1.25 million cars were registered with Iraqi authorities before the invasion, according to the head of Iraq's traffic police Major General Jaafar Tohman Kadhim al-Khafaji. Since then, 1.5 million cars have legally been imported into Iraq, Khafaji says, with illicit purchases raising that figure still further. "Before the invasion it was very difficult to buy a car," says Khafaji, a traffic police veteran of 36 years. "Now, it's very easy," he adds. "For seven years, we had no licences. Everything -- all our equipment -- was stolen. But now, we hope that in two years, no driver will be able to move in the streets without having a licence." Iraqi authorities have so far handed out more than 8,000 of the new driving permits since the first issuing centre was opened in Baghdad on October 21. The pace is increasing as staff become more familiar with the new computer systems and provincial centres open over this month. Applicants must undergo a medical examination, demonstrate an understanding of traffic signs, complete a driving test and know basic vehicle mechanics to obtain the five-year licence. Drivers with licences issued before 2003 only need to pass the medical test. While some learn to drive from their parents or relatives, others such as Salman take private lessons like the 10-hour course offered by Maysaloon which costs between 130 and 155 dollars. At Baghdad's main testing centre, adjacent to the capital's Al-Shaab stadium, hopeful drivers are given instructions from a serving police officer, who does not ride with them as they complete the test. Typically, the examiner instructs drivers to navigate the vehicle to one end of a narrow street, execute a three-point turn, drive to the other end, complete another three-point turn and return to the starting position. The facilities and equipment for the new system remain very basic: shipping containers house the offices where licences are printed, and where computers and equipment are stored. "Yes, the buildings may not look that impressive," notes Brigadier General Majid Shanoun Hatem, the officer in charge of the main Baghdad testing centre. "But the technology is the best in the region." The entire project to bring all Iraqi drivers into the new system has so far cost 12 million dollars, according to Khafaji, who hopes to complete it in two years. "First they started with making the seat belt mandatory," says Uday Abdulwahad, referring to a widely-flouted rule introduced last year that ostensibly requires Baghdad's drivers to wear a seat belt, but in reality sees many buckling up only when nearing checkpoints. "Now they are giving out driving licences, so this is the second good thing the police have done recently," the 34-year-old taxi driver adds, holding up his newly-received licence. "This is going to make the streets safer -- it shows a driver is qualified to be on the streets. Some of the people who drive now should not be allowed to, people with poor eyesight, or who are too young." For now, however, vehicle safety on Iraq's streets remains tenuous at best. "More than a third of my time on the road is spent frustrated and stressed because of the number of cars, the quality of driving, and the constant traffic jams," laments Wissam Jawad, a Maysaloon driving instructor. "At some crossroads in Baghdad, it is like a fight," the 35-year-old says, holding up his fists.