Driving Test Changes
Following trials of a new Driving Test format, the Government are now set to introduce the new-style Driving Test this year (or early next year) after the results of a public consultation.
What is changing?
If you are not already fully aware of the changes they are:
- increase the ‘independent driving’ part of the test from 10 to 20 minutes
- ask candidates to follow directions from a sat-nav during the ‘independent driving’ part;
- replace the ‘reverse around a corner’ and ‘turn in the road’ manoeuvres with more real-life scenarios, eg driving into and reversing out of a parking bay;
- ask 1 of the 2 vehicle safety questions (known as the ‘show me, tell me’ questions) while the candidate is driving, eg asking them to use the rear heated screen.
The cost of a driving test in the UK will remain the same.
There is now a consultation period of six weeks that will allow people to share their views of the changes – click here to do so. The deadline is 25 August; the information will be collated by the DVSA and a full report published.
DVSA Chief Driving Examiner, Lesley Young, said: “Candidates will be given more responsibility for making decisions during the test.
“We want them to show they can cope with distractions and assess risk without the intervention of their instructor or examiner.”
When will this happen?
No mention of an actual date has been made yet, but the current trial is not due to end until “later in 2016”.
Other driving related changes have also been announced as part of the DVSA’s budget for the next financial year (2017-18) so these could impact on the roll out of any changes.
Not to mention a certain ‘Brexit’ decision and a potential General Election looming that could all yet have an impact!
Expect to hear all about it when the first test candidates sit the test though – it will be big news.
But don’t worry, we will keep you informed!
You can get full information at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/driving-test-changes-plans-revealed-to-improve-road-safety
and
https://despatch.blog.gov.uk/2016/07/14/driving-test-consultation-the-proposed-changes-explained/
John Farlam, of the UK’s leading trainer of Approved Driving Instructors, SmartDriving said: “SmartDriving fully endorse the proposed changes which we believe will better relate to driving after the test is passed.”
He continued: “However, we still believe that the turn-in-the-road and reverse left (and right) exercises are valuable for applying control skills and developing observation and hope that instructors will keep these as part of their syllabus, even though they will no longer be tested.”
News reports:
