What you have to do to learn to drive without going through an academy

Posted by Md Khann on February 18th, 2021

Of the 30 daily exams, only two are presented with a private instructor; academies warn that it is a more insecure option Starting in May, the cost of taking classes at an academy to get a driver's license will reach $

16,000. The increase of $ 6,000 will occur when a regulatory decree of the Montevideo City

The council goes into effect that increases the demands for driving academies and for those who

want to obtain a license.

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Among other things, the regulation (which arises from a decree approved by the Departmental

Board in December 2016) establishes that 25 classes are necessary to be able to take the

driving license exam, and not 15 as before. Each class may not be less than 60 minutes or last

more than 120 minutes.

What you have to do to learn to drive without going through an academy

Despite this, there is a little-used way to save the cost of taking classes with an academy.

According to the regulations, the applicant to obtain a driver's license can also choose to

receive instruction from a trusted individual as long as the person meets certain requirements.

To make use of this option, the applicant has to present before the Comptroller of Drivers and

Trac Education of the commune, the identity card and a photocopy of the document, specific

medical certificate for driver's license, and personal schedule the theoretical and practical

exams.

In addition, you must present a photocopy of the identity card and driver's license of the person

who will teach you to drive. These documents must be presented on the day of the practical

exam. This companion must be over 21 years old and have at least 2 years of seniority as a

driver in the same category as the applicant, or higher. In addition, you must provide a

photocopy of the Property Book of the vehicle in which you will give the test. They are also

asked for an affidavit.

The car must be registered in Montevideo and if it is more than 5 years old, you must present

the certificate of the Vehicle Technical Inspection (Computest) and a photocopy of the

Compulsory Insurance Certificate (SOA) of the vehicle. Another requirement is that the

instructor has no unpaid nes or penalties, or patent debt.

According to the new regulations, the instructor of private trust cannot present more than three

applicants per month or seven in the semester; otherwise, they would be turning into an

informal driving academy. Before the regulations, there was no limit to the number of

applicants that could present, so there is greater control, the Director of Transit, Mariela Baute,

told El Observador.

Once the applicant completes these procedures, he receives a form where he must write down

the 25 required classes. It is the instructor who writes down the days and hours that each class

lasted and the applicant who attests with his signature. Baute explained that this form, like the

one presented by the academies, has the value of an affidavit.

Little used

This option was always in effect even before the changes announced last week. Despite this, it

is little used and little known. "The quartermaster does not force you to take classes in an

academy. That was always the case," Baute recalled last week. "I tell everyone. If they have

someone to teach them to drive, they don't have to go to a driving academy," the director told

Subrayado.

In general, of the 30 daily quotas that are in each of the six exam shifts, two are requested by

people who attend a trusted instructor, that is, 12 of the 360 who show up every day to take the

exam, according to data from the Association of Instructors and Owners of Driving Schools.

The use of this option is historically low, Álvaro Beloqui president of the association told El

Observador.

However, between Thursday and Saturday the test track of the Montevideo Municipality in front

of the Centenario Stadium was filled with applicants who attended with trusted instructors,

Beloqui said.

For academies, this option is less secure, since it is more difficult to verify that the required

a number of classes was met, the instructor said.

He also pointed out that the private vehicles used have different insurance than those that the

academies have, and do not cover an accident during a class. In fact, on Saturday a car driven

by an applicant who was driving with a trusted instructor got lost during practice near the baby soccer fields in front of the Centenario Stadium, Beloqui said.

Background

The changes in the regulations seek to improve the approval levels of applicants to obtain a

driver's license. Today in Montevideo only 50% of those who take the practical exams, pass it.

The commune had assured in 2014 that the new regulations aimed to reverse the fact that

there was no control over the quality of the academies. Now, these companies will go on to

provide a service of "private activity of public interest". And, in addition to increasing the

classes, the city hall will limit the number of companies of this type and will also place

demands on the vehicles with which the service is given.