I've been reading lots of angry letters lately about driving instructors and the whole procedure of issuing a driving licence.

First, let me say that by no means am I encouraging or defending abusive treatment by driving instructors, which seems to be obviously awful. Something has to be done about it.

But being someone who has held a driving licence for 13 years and driven in many GCC and Middle Eastern countries, allow me to say that the quality of drivers in Bahrain is awful.

Many of those who got driving licences are very bad drivers and, to be honest, most of those awful drivers are young Asians who seem to be new to the country.

Apparently, this is their first driving experience. You can easily spot them with their horrible driving skills and white Japanese cars. That is not an excuse to scold and abuse them. Being unable to drive is not a crime.

But at the same time the fact that they are awful drivers is a justification for making it hard to get a driving licence.

Take Dubai as an example. Those who complain about Bahrain definitely know nothing about driving licensure in Dubai.

The baseline is that getting a licence should remain difficult, but it should be done with the help of polite professionals who care about the dignity and rights of their clients - and who are truly willing to teach them, not just rip them off for their money. Dr Amr Rashad