‘Automatic’ licence holders can’t drive manual cars: official

Drivers with licences to drive automatic-transmission cars cannot drive “manual” cars and will be fined in accordance with the law, Traffic Department Director Brigadier Mohamed Saad al-Kharji said yesterday. In his weekly briefing to the media, he explained that the reason for this was that drivers with automatic licences usually had no experience with manual-transmission cars.“When people go to driving schools and pass their tests in an automatic transmission car, they are issued licences that clearly say they can drive automatic cars only. However, those drivers who clear the test using a manual-transmission car are allowed to drive an automatic car,” he explained.Drivers with “automatic” licences wishing to convert them to “manual” should visit the Traffic Department and pass the appropriate test for conversion, he added.At most driving schools, students prefer to enrol in classes for automatic-transmission cars in the belief that it would be easier to pass the tests. Also, as most cars in the country are automatic, it makes sense to get training and licences for such cars only.However, it is also true that some second-hand “manual” cars can be bought for a much cheaper price than an automatic car. This is the reason why some newcomers to Qatar prefer to start off using such a car.Also, the waiting list at driving schools for “manual” cars is much shorter than for “automatic” ones. At one such school in Al Thumama, the waiting period for “automatic” is around three months, while that for “manual” is one month.