By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: A new amendment to the traffic law 81/1976 was recently issued by ministry decree no. 1067/2020 and published in the Kuwait Al-Youm official gazette. The amendment included new changes related to driving schools and instructors.

The amendment allows Kuwaitis to become driving trainers after obtaining a license and fulfilling certain conditions. "One of the conditions is that they should work full-time for this job. This addition to the law was made for retired or unemployed Kuwaitis to benefit from this opportunity," Brig Gen Tawheed Al-Kandari, Director General of Relations and Security Media at the Ministry of Interior, told Kuwait Times.

This condition was not mentioned for non-Kuwait trainers, as they are already employees of driving schools and their work permits and residencies are tied to their companies. "So if a driving instructor is caught by police providing training, and his residency is on a different institution other than the driving school, he will be sanctioned," Kandari said.

Kuwaiti trainers also have to undergo annual medical checkups. "Non-Kuwaiti trainers working at driving schools have to undergo medical tests every two years or during their license renewal, so it's not mentioned in this amendment. The medical checkup is essential, as trainers may pose a danger to trainees in case of emergencies such as hypoglycemia or others," stressed Kandari.

The director general of the traffic department is authorized to withdraw the training license in case of violation of any of the conditions. "There should be serious reasons for withdrawing the license, such as ophthalmological problems, committing accidents repeatedly, and so on," he explained.

The amendment also allows issuing a temporary driving training permit to Kuwaitis who wish to train a family member. "This temporary permit is not limited to a certain timeframe, but to one person of the family. So the trainer can't train other members with this permit.

Also, the trainer should meet the conditions for training, such as having a vehicle with two steering wheels if they want to drive on roads. But if they are only training in a yard, then it's OK. The trainer should also have a valid driving license issued at least five years earlier," concluded Kandari.