Driving Tests in Palembang

Yesterday I talked to my driver Iwan about how strict the driving tests are in Australia. I was surprised to learn that people do not even need to do ON-THE-ROAD driving tests!

There are 2 ways of getting drivers license in Palembang. One is to go through the PANSOS (drivers association) where they train you for a few months then you sit for the written and practical tests. So the PANSOS style is similar to what we have in Malaysia except the testers are from the transport dept. The other way is to go through the traffic police department.

With the traffic police, you still need to sit for a written road rules test and they have 100 questions to be completed in 1.5 hours. However, the surprising thing is you DO NOT need to drive on the road! The traffic police department opposite Palembang Square has a SIMULATOR. I was in shock when I got to know that Palembang has this kinda technology. Iwan said it is like a video game where you sit inside the simulator. You have a couple of "LIVES". If you die in the game that means you fail the test!

I was amazed and puzzled at the same time after listening what Iwan told me. I was thinking to myself how would anyone know how to react on the actual road when they pass their tests using video games? Anyway, Iwan said only 20% of the people who took the simulator tests actually pass. The rest had to pay off the traffic police to get their licenses.... LOL!

Someone did ask me whether I wanted a SIM (Surat Izin Memandu - Indonesian Drivers Licence) when I first came to Palembang. They requested Rp1,000,000 (approx RM360) but I found the price to be too steep. After almost 3 years, I discovered that the 1 million rupiah was well saved because even though you have any traffic violations you will still need to fork out money irregardless of whether you have a SIM or not. Moreover, a new SIM only costs Rp300,000 (less than Rm100)!