The driving test

Allow me to point out to Mr S. Attard (The Sunday Times, February 13) and your readers that no candidate has to date failed the driving test for "trivial matters".

Mr Attard brought gave a number of examples which beg clarification. He seems to be shocked that a candidate was penalised for not stopping completely while a pedestrian, who had almost reached the curb, was crossing the road.

The safety of vulnerable pedestrians, for some, is considered to be a trivial matter. No wonder we have so many accidents involving pedestrians! Yes, it is true that if a candidate does not take the necessary precautionary measures, in certain situations, he/she is penalised according to the severity of the case.

Mr Attard also mentioned another case "involving the yellow grid lines" - better known as a box junction. While we cannot comment on this particular case due to lack of information, I invite Mr Attard to contact me on freephone 8007-2393 to discuss the matter further.

While it is true that the Malta Transport Authority charges Lm10 for the driving test, it is vital to point out that no candidate has ever been or will ever be penalised unnecessarily in order to increase revenue for the Authority. The Malta Transport Authority is committed to reduce fatalities and improve driving standards and not to collect funds.

Also, 81 per cent of the candidates who sat for the test between May and December last year passed the test on their first attempt. The pass rate clearly indicates that the ADT is not interested in collecting funds by deliberately failing candidates.

Mr Attard pointed out that the exclusion of the driving instructor from the driving test is dubious as no witness is present. It must be stated that it is at the instructor's discretion whether to be physically present in the vehicle throughout the test or not.

The ADT's driving examiners have never stopped any instructor from being present during the test. The examiners had also given instructors the opportunity to be present during the driving test debrief, so that the latter would be in a better position to understand and learn what is expected from the candidates.

This practice was recently suspended following a number of incidents involving some instructors who reacted negatively during the debrief. It must also be added, however, that there were instructors who found the debriefing sessions very informative and beneficial to themselves and their candidates.

To conclude, the public is reminded that candidates have the right to appeal the decision taken by the examiner as laid down on the yellow copy of the DTR1 form (Driving Test Report) handed over during the debrief.

Sadly, certain candidates either refuse to take it or tear their copy of the result to pieces rather than use the report to their advantage to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Gzira street

I also refer to the letter by Ms Odette Mallia (February 13).

Kindly be informed that the Traffic Management Directorate (TMD) at the ADT had received two e-mails from Ms Mallia dated February 9 and 14, both of which were duly replied to on receipt.

As explained to Ms Mallia, the said "No Entry" signs were installed on a trial basis for one month following a request by the local council.

During the trial period, the Directorate monitored the traffic flows in the area to observe the impact of this decision. Both TMD and the police noted that traffic flows were adversely affected, causing tailbacks onto the Kappara roundabout. Also, the ADT received a number of calls from residents in the area and from teachers at the Government school situated in this particular road asking for the two-way system to be restored.

Following the trial period, the Directorate asked the local council for its comments. The council failed to respond and was consequently instructed to remove the signs.