New Driving Test Trial – A pointless exercise?
Examiners are carrying out a new driving test trial at 20 driving test centres around the country. The aim of the trial is to take candidates on faster roads. They may also spend more time following direction from a sat nav.
The current section of independent driving, involves following signs or a sat nav for around 20 minutes. The DVSA are considering increasing this so that drivers follow the sat nav for the whole test. Logistically however, it will be highly unlikely that they could follow traffic signs for that length of time; there just are not enough of them. So are they considering dropping this option?
Why is this change under consideration?
A spokesperson from the DVSA said “High speed roads, including rural roads, are some of the most dangerous for novice drivers. We need to ensure that the driving test continues to test the skills needed to drive safely. And replicate conditions new drivers will face in the real world.”
Statistics show that when driving on rural roads, there is a 6% higher rate of casualties in younger drivers. That does not seem to a huge difference however. But a further statistic shows the male drivers in the 17 to 24 age group, are four times more likely to be killed than those over 25.
Where are the trials taking place?
The trial will run for three months from the 6th May at the following driving test centres:
- Avonmouth
- Bishopbriggs
- Bolton
- Cambridge
- Cardiff
- Dudley
- Halifax
- Hendon
- Hereford
- Hornchurch
- Isleworth
- Maidstone
- Middlesbrough
- Musselburgh
- Norris Green,
- Norwich (Peachman Way)
- Nottingham (Chilwell)
- Oxford
- Portsmouth
- Wakefield
Not all candidates at these test centres will drive on the new routes however. Those who do, will be informed when they book their test.
What else will change?
The only real difference if you take the trial test, is that your examiner will ask you to pull up on the left for a ‘normal stop’ once. Other test candidates will carry out two normal stops.
There is also less likelihood of you carrying out an emergency stop. This is currently done on one in three tests. The new test will see this reduced to one in seven. All other test content will remain the same.
Will the change be permanent?
It is highly unlikely that the new driving test trial will become permanent.
One of the problems with introducing these new routes, is that most driving test centres are in locations that don’t have access to higher speed roads. They’re just too far away from the open country. Examiner’s simply do not have the time to take candidates that far. Dropping one of the normal stops will save all of 20 – 30 seconds. Also, missing out an emergency stop will not save much more, and 66% of test already miss out the emergency stop.
The only way this would work, is by reducing the number of tests conducted. In order to provide a long enough test slot, it’s unlikely an examiner would be able to conduct more than 5 tests each day. With the current problems of examiner recruitment and very long waiting lists, it’s highly unlikely that will ever happen.