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Learner drivers may get refund if they pass test first time
First time driving test passes to be given cash refunds
(about 1 hour later)
Learner drivers could get money back from their driving test fees if they pass first time.
Well-prepared learner drivers who pass their driving test first time will be eligible for a refund of part of the cost, under new government proposals.
The Department for Transport (DfT) is considering the proposal in a bid to encourage learners to only take the test when they are ready and confident of passing.
The plan is intended to raise the low first-time pass rate, which stands at just 21%.
It is hoped this will mean new drivers are less likely to have an accident in their first months of having a full licence. Only 47.6% of learners pass first time.
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “This change will give those who pass first time some money back and provide an incentive for learners to be more prepared before they take their first test.”
The Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) conducts 1.5m practical tests each year but only 21% result in a first-time pass. Fifty-three per cent are failed and 26% are passed by learners who are on at least their second attempt.
Learners who fail will get no rebate on the £62 charge under the plans, which have been put out to public consultation by the Department of Transport.
Under the proposal, the practical driving test fee, which costs up to £75, would be reduced. The learner would also be required to pay a deposit – the exact figure has yet to be determined – which would be returned if they passed.
“There is anecdotal evidence that some learner drivers are booking a practical test date well in advance, at the start of their lessons, and then taking the test at that time whether or not they are ready,” the consultation states.
This is part of a consultation aimed at finding ways to improve road safety and increase efficiency in government agencies.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said the organisation backed the proposals.
The transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, said: “We want to make learning to drive safer and more affordable. This change will give those who pass first time some money back and provide an incentive for learners to be more prepared before they take their test. These common sense proposals mean that all learner drivers can feel the benefit.
“We support measures that will encourage learner drivers to get the experience they need to pass their test first time with flying colours, rather than barely scraping through or failing and having to repeat the process a few months down the road at yet more expense,” he said.
“This consultation is a really important step and we want to hear all views.”
The consultation, to be announced on Friday, will also consider introducing more flexibility to driving tests so that applicants can take them at night or on weekends, and from a wider range of centres.
Motoring research charity RAC Foundation welcomed the proposal. The organisation’s director, Steve Gooding, said: “We support measures that will encourage learner drivers to get the experience they need to pass their test first time with flying colours, rather than barely scraping through or failing and having to repeat the process a few months down the road at yet more expense.”
The proposals are part of a wider push to improve the efficiency of government motoring agencies, said transport minister Lord Tariq Ahmad. “These proposals are about modernising customer services and improving road safety, particularly for younger drivers,” he said.
Carly Brookfield, the chief executive of the Driving Instructors Association, said: “There are some bold suggestions in this consultation and we do have to think more boldly about how to get more young people, and drivers generally, to properly evaluate the responsibility and risk of driving.
Ways of increasing the number of large goods vehicle drivers – one of the most pressing issues facing the road haulage industry – will also be considered. Changes could include streamlining the application process and improving the sharing of information between agencies.
“If there are motivational tools we can use to achieve that aim and better prepared novice drivers as a result, then let’s have a proper and open-minded debate about what those tools could be.”
The consultation closes on 8 January and the department will respond later next year.
The consultation also proposes offering tests from a range of venues and the introduction of more flexible time slots – such as at weekends and evenings – to reduce delays.
The DfT is considering changing the providers of some services to get better value for money.
The consultation will also look at ways to tackle the shortage of large goods vehicle drivers. This could include streamlining the application process to help those with the correct qualifications obtain their licence and start work sooner.
Transport minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon said: “This is a bold and ambitious approach aimed at putting the user at the heart of everything the motoring agencies do. They provide a valuable public service, from issuing driving licences to taking dangerous vehicles off our roads, and I want to make sure they are able to operate in the most effective way.
“These proposals are about modernising customer services and improving road safety, particularly for younger drivers, and I want to hear all views.”
The consultation will close on 8 January, after which the DfT will issue a response.
