Can I get a driving license in an automatic car?

One of the tense moments that the the car drivers This is just before they become full-fledged motorists, that is to say when they abandon the driving test which allows them to manage a vehicle on public roads.

The famous – and feared by many – driving license consists of psychotechnical and medical exams, as well as a theoretical and practical part. In the latter case, it is assessed whether the person has the ability to drive a car. However, many have a question related to the car in which they will take the test, a question they have asked us several times: can you get a driving license in an automatic car?

To find out this answer, we spoke with Alberto Escobar, mobility director of the Automobile Club of Chile and road safety specialist within the institution. The executive emphasized that “the municipalities of Chile do not have a single criterion regarding the type of vehicle to use to take the practical exam. There are some that do not impose any restrictions on the car that will be used during the practical test; There are others that indicate as a condition in your document that you can only drive automatic vehicles, and there are also cases that only agree to do it in a mechanical vehicle. This point unfortunately remains at the discretion of each direction of traffic and this is why it is so relevant that progress is made in the harmonization of criteria and the definition of common protocols that improve access to the driving license at national level. . Given this ambiguity that future candidates encounter, it is very important that they first consult the municipality directly to find out what type of car they accept so as not to be surprised in front of the examiner.

Regarding the vehicles used in driving schools, Escobar clarifies that “it is very important to clarify that driving schools are not allowed to teach in automatic vehicles and, as a general rule, they can only do so with mechanical cars.

Regardless of the vehicle in which the practical test will take place, the Automobile Club specialist specifies that “the person who is going to take the practical test will never do so in an unknown vehicle, whether automatic or mechanical. You need to get into the car that the candidate feels comfortable in and really knows.

Finally, to avoid any setbacks, Escobar emphasizes that “the candidate cannot arrive alone by car to take the exam, regardless of the car’s gearbox. This is grounds for immediate rejection. The vehicle must be driven by a person who obviously has the corresponding driving license.”

For those who are in the process of obtaining a license and have completed all the stages, they should consider that the practical exam will have an evaluation sheet where the following actions and maneuvers of the candidate are taken into account:

• Preliminary checks
• Traffic entry and exit
• normal circulation
• Change of track
• Turns
• Intersections
• Demarcations
• Overrun / Overrun
• Parking lot
• Vehicle handling
• Observation
• Panels
• Lights
• preferences
• Vehicle controls