Prime Minister Ion Chicu ordered to set up a working group for assessing the preparedness of future drivers. The group must come up with proposals for improving the system for programming driving exams in two weeks and must consider the possibility of implementing a new method of accrediting driving schools and a new method of assessing the performance of examination centers, IPN reports.

In a meeting to examine the problems signaled by citizens in the process of taking driving tests, Ion Chicu said the difficulties are mainly systemic in character. The current driving exam programing system shows someone is making artificial appointments so as to extend the waiting list. He requested to take urgent measures to remedy the situation and shorten the waiting list without affecting the quality of the examination process as road traffic safety depends on this.

“The citizens are fully dissatisfied with the way in which a state institution organizes this process and I’m inclined to believe that there is a well-thought-out strategy for illegally collecting money. We must ensure the services wanted by the citizens,” stated Premier Chicu.

Gheorghe Creţu, head of the Vehicle Registration and Driver Qualification Department of the Public Services Agency, said the problem resides not only in the training of the testing personnel, but also in the qualifications of the candidates taking exams. Only 43 driving schools have been certified as compliant. The other almost 140 schools work based on licenses obtained many years ago.

Iulian Postică, secretary of state at the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, noted that the waiting list for taking driving exams became longer after 2012, when the number of examination centers was cut from almost 30 to 11 and the examination requirements were toughened up. The program of training the future drivers focuses more on theory. This consists of 140 hours of theory and only 40 hours of driving. There is no alternative mechanism for gaining experience at a time when assisted-driving technology is implemented worldwide.

Currently, 44 of the 54 units of transport owned by the examination centers are outfitted with video systems. Most of these were bought after 2014. In 2019, over 122,000 persons took the driving test, but only 39,000 got a driver’s license. The exam pass rate in theory is under 80%.