Motorists who are still learning to drive or ride their vehicles will have to undergo mandatory simulator training from the start of 2019, through the use of driving or riding simulations that will be made available at driving schools here.
The initiative, which will be trialled in the first quarter of 2018, will allow these learner motorists to practise defensive driving or riding in a safe and controlled environment, said the Traffic Police (TP) at a press conference on Friday (30th June). Details of the training will be firmed up after the trial period, but TP Commander, Senior Assistant Commissioner Sam Tee, said it would help prepare learner motorists to react in emergencies and various scenarios like braking during wet weather.
Among the announcements made were also the launch of the new TP online learning portal on 1st July and the extension of the validity period for Provisional Driving Licences (PDL), from the current six months to two years, which will happen by the end of this year. The online portal, accessible via www.police.gov.sg, will feature animated videos to educate the public on accident prevention and online mock theory tests for learner motorists.
Free digital copies of the Basic and Final Theory Driving handbooks in the four official languages will also be available on the portal and production of these hardcopy books will cease from 1st July. By the fourth quarter of this year, learner motorists will also be able to apply for or renew their PDL online, and hardcopy PDLs will no longer be issued.
