Thiruvananthapuram: Changes are being implemented in the driving licence test in the state from May 1. These pertain to the category of cars and other small vehicles. The practice of conducting driving tests on roads with iron poles erected and tagged with ribbons will be a thing of the past now.

Now, a tarred or concreted surface will be provided and lines marked through which the drivers will have to manoeuvre their vehicles. Angular parking, parallel parking, zig-zag driving, and driving vehicles on steep roads without moving backwards are mandatory tests to pass to obtain a driving licence from May 1.

The Motor Vehicles Department has ten testing stations to conduct driving tests. It also uses playgrounds and other spaces, including those belonging to places of worship, to conduct the tests. As the government is facing a financial crisis, the minister has entrusted driving schools to find places to conduct these tests.