Hi-tech machines called simulators, to train and test aspiring car drivers, were introduced at five major RTOs in the City nearly four months ago. Procured at a cost of nearly Rs 5 lakh a piece from the Hyderabad-based Zen Technologies Limited, these machines were aimed at evaluating the driving skills before issuing a licence. 

Metrolife checked out how efficiently these machines were put to use and the results were pretty disappointing.
The RTOs at Indiranagar, Rajajinagar, Yeshwantpur, Koramangala and Jayanagar house these machines. The worst case of nonusage is at the Indira Nagar RTO, housed in an old BDA building. The simulator has not been functioning here for over 40 days now due to minor reasons.  It occupies an entire room here and has been gathering dust.  The ceiling  of the adjoining room leaks  when it rains  and the water trickles down and stagnates inside the room with the simulator. It is shocking to see this trendy equipment sitting on water.

“We are not able to use it as the earthing is not good. The simulator’s main board and integrated circuit get affected due to electrical fluctuations and it stops functioning. Unless new and proper earthing is done in the building, which the BDA has to approve, there will be problems,” said S Umeshwar Singh, a Motor Vehicle Inspector here.

When this reporter checked out the same venue a month ago, the simulator was not functioning. An RTO official gave a bizarre reason for it last time, “There is a canteen housed in the ground floor and the foodstuff there makes it a home for rats. One of them bit the machine’s  wire and so it is not functioning!” 

The machine was inaugurated here early July and 63 people have test driven on it, said RTO Krishna Reddy.  Their marks ranged from 60 to 99. Therein, lies the flaw, an inspector said on condition of anonymity.  “If the person causes an accident when taking the test, the mark must go down to zero. But the machine does not take these collisions into count and makes the driver pass,” he added.

Yeshwantpur RTO K T Halaswamy refused to share information regarding the simulator.  Sources here said the machine did have a problem a couple of days ago but was set right by the company technician. “Right now, the display boards  seen on the monitor are totally blurred and so it is not possible for a driving test to be conducted till it is rectified,” said an official.  Moreover, the machine is supposed to handle 60 programs but some are not working.  The machine does cause unhappiness among many,  the official informed. For instance, even an experienced driver who does a flawless reverse turn on the streets is not able to do so here.
Rajajinagar unit

Rajajinagar has a different reason for the machine to not be underutilised. “The  simulator is going to be shifted shortly to another venue. Hence, it is not being put to effective use here, “ said an RTO source here. 
There is hope in some quarters though. Syed Shafi Ahmed, RTO at Yelanka now (earlier the RTO at Jayanagar when the simulator was introduced there) is  optimistic about the simulator and felt it will turn out to be very useful. Koramangala RTO Gnanendra Kumar said the simulator was functioning well at his office and many had test driven on it so far. “The idea of this machine is to give some kind of boldness and experience to the driver before he actually takes the road test for the licence,” he said. This can never be taken into consideration for issuing a licence as rule 15 (2) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1999 makes it mandatory for a driving test be conducted using a vehicle.

Idea behind it
Meanwhile, Joint Commissioner for Transport, R V D’ Souza,  “There is no problem with the simulators.  They are all functioning well. Even if there is a minor problem, the company has provided a technician locally to set it right. “ He is obviously unaware of the malfunctioning of simulators at the RTOs. The idea behind introducing them is to ensure that driving on the streets is made safer, he added.  When queried if they can be used instead of the road test in future, he said this was not possible as the Motor Vehicles Act does not permit this. 

Right now, only aspirants who wish to test their skills are experimenting with it. 

There is an urgent need that the State appeals to the Centre to bring about some amendment to the Act if the machine needs to be exploited well,  said a top RTO official. 

The machine
The simulator comprises of two separate machines. One section, which the test aspirant has to occupy, is equipped with all the controls that are required to set a car in motion, similar to the machine used in driving schools to train students before they are allowed to drive on the road. It has three monitors. When the ignition button is set in motion, the central monitor will display a car and the person in the driver’s seat has to take it through the streets with the aid of the clutch and accelerator wheel.  The two side  monitors  will display the road usually seen on the right and left of a vehicle. It also has a mini-camera on top of the monitor so that the individual’s photo can be taken for the licence.

The other portion of the equipment also has three monitors and is controlled by motor vehicle inspectors. They will key in instructions here which have to be carried out by the test aspirant. One of these monitors  will list the errors being made by the aspirant and give the final score card too.

A huge advantage is that it enables an official to test the ability of the person taking the test under all conditions.  Conditions like Muddy, Fog, Sand, Snowy and Rainy and Dust Storm can be specified and the car on the monitor has to be led through those conditions which get displayed on the screen. The driver has to shift gears and accelerate to cope with the conditions. Tests can  also be conducted for City or Highway driving.
SL