Keralam to introduce Hazard Perception Test for driving licence aspirants

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The Motor Vehicles department (MVD) will introduce a mandatory computer-based ‘Hazard Perception Test’ for driving licence applicants in Keralam from December 2026. (Photo for representation)

The Motor Vehicles department (MVD) will introduce a mandatory computer-based ‘Hazard Perception Test’ for driving licence applicants from December 2026 as part of measures to improve road safety and assess the applicants’ ability to identify potential hazards on the road.

The test, designed on international standards, will have a video-game-like format. Applicants will have to clear the test within 30 days of passing the learner’s test and only those passing it can attend the ground and road tests. The test will comprise 10 one-minute videos depicting situations and potential hazards that drivers may encounter on the road.

Each video will contain at least two hazards, which candidates will have to identify by pressing a button at the appropriate moment. Failure to identify a hazard at the right time will result in deduction of marks. Candidates will be awarded 10 marks for each correct response and will have to secure at least 60 out of 100 marks to pass the test.

The Transport Commissioner has directed the implementation of the online test from December considering the rise in road accidents in Keralam. Though the test is being introduced for the first time in the country, provision for conducting such an assessment is already included in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules.

Recognised driving schools have been directed to provide training for the new test to applicants within the next three months. The MVD expects the test to help drivers recognise hazards in advance and take appropriate action to safely control their vehicles.

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