Driving licences for deaf people

Irangika Range

The Government has planned to grant driving licences to deaf people since it is not an impediment to enjoy the right of driving. At present several other countries in the world have allowed people with hearing impairment to drive, said Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma.

Addressing an Annual General Meeting of the Deaf Association on Sunday in Colombo, the Minister said though the Deaf Association had been making this request from the relevant Authorities for the last 25 years it was all to no avail.

The Minister further said that around 70 percent of vehicles arriving Colombo from various parts of the country are fully air-conditioned with tinted glasses. It has resulted in a double the number of train accidents since people traveling by these vehicles do not clearly hear the horns of trains. Therefore, there is no difference between them and deaf people," he said.

He said that deaf people are capable of becoming good drivers and should be allowed to hold a legal driver's licence, instead of relying on public transport or buying licences on the black market, "Their hearing is impaired but their other senses and reactions are naturally trained to be extremely acute which is an advantage over other drivers." the Minister noted. "In a lot of developed countries deaf people are allowed to get their driver's licences as long as they pass the tests," he further said.