MOHALI – A new AI-based system to check the skills of driving licence (DL) applicants has exposed significant flaws in Punjab’s previous testing process. A pilot project launched in the Mohali automated driving test range using Harnessing Automobile for Safety (HAMS) technology has drastically reduced the pass percentage for four-wheeler DL applicants from a previous 90% to just 40%. The introduction of the Punjab AI driving test is a major step towards road safety.
This drastic drop in the pass rate contrasts sharply with older data, where districts like Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, and Phillaur recorded success rates between 90% and 100%. The perfect 100% pass rate in Phillaur alone highlighted the ineffectiveness of the old system.
The new technology uses smartphone-based systems and iris scanning to ensure that applicants cannot send substitutes for their tests. The system also evaluates driving skills with greater accuracy. This addresses a major loophole in the old system, which a recent investigation by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau uncovered. It was found that agents were colluding with RTO officials to reuse old test videos, use the same vehicles for multiple tests, and employ proxy drivers to help applicants pass.
The findings from the pilot project have prompted the Transport Department to make a major policy change. The department has decided to roll out the HAMS technology across all 32 automated driving test ranges in the state. Tenders for the project have already been floated. This move comes in light of a recent analysis of accident data, which identified poor driving skills as a leading cause of road crashes in Punjab.