The drivers in Qatar with automatic transmission licenses cannot drive ‘manual’ cars and will be fined, said a report.

Brigadier Mohammed Saad Al-Kharji, the traffic department director, pointed out that drivers with automatic licenses usually had no experience with manual-transmission cars, reported the Gulf News.

"When people go to driving schools and pass their tests in an automatic transmission car, they are issued licenses 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 was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, drivers who wish to convert their automatic licenses to manual, can visit the traffic department and pass the appropriate test for conversion, said the report.