NEARLY half of all new drivers in Shenzhen obtained driving licenses from other cities without undergoing proper training, a newspaper report revealed yesterday (Apr 17).

Authorities are worried that this could lead to a large number of unqualified drivers hitting the road.

The Shenzhen Evening News yesterday cited the city's traffic police as saying that last year 47,853 new licenses were issued in Shenzhen on the basis of licenses issued in other parts of the country, accounting for 46 percent of the total number of new licenses. In the first quarter of this year, the proportion was 41 percent.

That means more than 40 percent of all new motorists obtained their first licenses in other cities. According to Chinese law, they are allowed to apply for a Shenzhen license after transferring their driving test files from the authority which issued the original license.

The paper said many local training schools arranged for one-day tests in other cities, including Shanwei in Guangdong and Ganzhou, Ji'an and Jingdezhen in Jiangxi.

The report said that just before the Spring Festival this year, up to 2,000 trainees of a Shenzhen driving school took dozens of buses to Jiangxi to take part in one-day tests. Most trainees passed the test in the first attempt. The few people who failed initially all passed in the second attempt, the paper said, implying that the school bribed the authorities to make it easier for its trainees to pass the tests.

Some schools simply "sold" driving licenses issued in other cities, the paper said. Such driving licenses are usually issued three months after 4,500 yuan (US$582) is paid, and no test is needed, according to the report.

The Shenzhen traffic police said the test in the city is more strictly administered than in many other cities. But the police have no power to stop a person from applying for a Shenzhen driving license without a test as long as he possesses a license issued in another city.

To make quick profits, some schools turn to other cities to make sure their trainees get their licenses sooner.

In the first quarter of the year, 25 people were killed in 23 fatal road accidents in Shenzhen.

Editor: Wing