Safe driving skills to be tested

From Jan. 1, Regitra, the State Enterprise providing public services for registration of motor vehicles, examination of future drivers and issuance of driving licenses, will start evaluating safe and economic driving skills during the driving test, reports ELTA. The changes, aimed at developing safer driving skills and reducing the number of accidents and pollution in cities, were adopted by the order of Minister of the Interior Dailis Alfonsas Barakauskas.

European Union member states have been obligated to check safe and economic driving skills since Dec. 31, 2013 by a European Commission directive.

The directive stipulates that during the examination the drivers will have to drive in such a way which guarantees traffic safety, reduces fuel consumption and emissions when accelerating, breaking, driving uphill or downhill, or when changing gears.

Last year Regitra was actively preparing for these changes related to examination evaluation: it held safe and economic driver training for more than 100 of its employees, and discussed the changes with representatives of driving schools.