Bahrain tops list of hardest countries to learn to drive

TDT | Manama                 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain has emerged as one of the hardest countries in the world to learn how to drive. The Global Zutobi Index considered factors such as test difficulty, minimum driving age, and testing requirements to determine the ease of obtaining a driver's license.

According to the study, the easiest countries to learn to drive are Mexico in first place, followed by Qatar, Latvia, the US, and Canada.

The toughest countries to learn to drive are Croatia, Brazil, Hungary, Bahrain, and Montenegro. The study stated that medical, theory, and finally a practical test must be undertaken by prospective drivers in Bahrain. On top of that, they must be 18 years old to start driving, and the test costs £361 (BD178).

"Being able to drive is a freedom that many dream about when growing up—getting behind the wheel and setting off to explore the world on four wheels. But for some, the reality of becoming a legal driver is harder than they would have imagined, with tricky tests and a lot of information to learn before they are allowed on the highways," said Zutobi, an international driver's education company.

"However, in some parts of the world, these tests are slightly less difficult, and this combined with the financial cost of the tests can make it easier for drivers in certain countries to obtain a license."

Zutobi released the report "The Easiest and Hardest Countries to Learn to Drive, which looked at data for every country in the world and removed the 87 that they could not find complete data for, leaving them with 108.

They then cut down the list further to just include developed or wealthy countries. They included any country that fit one of these three criteria:

Any nation that is an OECD member state

Any nation with a score of 8 or above on the human development index

Any nation with one of the top 50 largest GDPs in the world

Zutobi decided to combine seven aspects to create the total driving test score:

Age you can drive

Cost of a driving test

Is a theory test required?

Is a practical test required?

Is an eye test required?

Is a medical exam required?

Hours of mandatory lessons to take the test

Data was found from numerous sites, including Zuto, Admiral, and World Atlas.