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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Driving test change introduces 'independent' section | Driving test change introduces 'independent' section |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Changes to the driving test coming into effect in the UK later will see people following a route "independently". | |
| Candidates will not receive step-by-step directions from their examiner during the 10-minute section, which will test how they drive unsupervised. | |
| Test route maps will no longer appear online but the Driving Standards Agency says learners can ask for reminders and will not be failed for getting lost. | Test route maps will no longer appear online but the Driving Standards Agency says learners can ask for reminders and will not be failed for getting lost. |
| The number of reversing manoeuvres tested is to rise from two to three. | The number of reversing manoeuvres tested is to rise from two to three. |
| The DSA says the introduction of an independent driving part of the test will allow examiners to better assess whether drivers are ready to drive unsupervised. | The DSA says the introduction of an independent driving part of the test will allow examiners to better assess whether drivers are ready to drive unsupervised. |
| It says candidates will be tested on their ability to drive in more realistic situations, rather than memorising a pre-defined test route. | It says candidates will be tested on their ability to drive in more realistic situations, rather than memorising a pre-defined test route. |
| DSA chief driving examiner Trevor Wedge said the aim was to see a candidate's "ability to drive safely while making decisions independently". | DSA chief driving examiner Trevor Wedge said the aim was to see a candidate's "ability to drive safely while making decisions independently". |
| "It's not a test of navigation and candidates won't be failed for going off route," he said. | "It's not a test of navigation and candidates won't be failed for going off route," he said. |
| "The test is being improved to help produce safer drivers, but that doesn't mean it's getting any harder. We know many instructors are already teaching independent driving." | "The test is being improved to help produce safer drivers, but that doesn't mean it's getting any harder. We know many instructors are already teaching independent driving." |
| 'Necessary skills' | 'Necessary skills' |
| Peter Rodger, chief examiner of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, welcomed the change and said it would indicate how candidates coped with "an integral part of day-to-day driving". | Peter Rodger, chief examiner of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, welcomed the change and said it would indicate how candidates coped with "an integral part of day-to-day driving". |
| But he urged the DSA to make testing on rural roads a compulsory element of the test, saying research has shown up to 75% of accidents take place there. | But he urged the DSA to make testing on rural roads a compulsory element of the test, saying research has shown up to 75% of accidents take place there. |
| Road safety minister Mike Penning said: "We want all new drivers to be able to drive safely and independently and are considering how both training and testing can be improved to achieve this." | Road safety minister Mike Penning said: "We want all new drivers to be able to drive safely and independently and are considering how both training and testing can be improved to achieve this." |
| He said the independent driving assessment gave test candidates the chance to show they have the "necessary skills to cope with the sort of traffic conditions they will face every day". | He said the independent driving assessment gave test candidates the chance to show they have the "necessary skills to cope with the sort of traffic conditions they will face every day". |
| Meanwhile, the Association of British Insurers is calling for the learning period for new drivers to be at least one year. | Meanwhile, the Association of British Insurers is calling for the learning period for new drivers to be at least one year. |
| In a poll of 2,500 people commissioned by the ABI, 75% thought not letting new drivers take the test for 12 months would help to reduce high death and serious injury rates among young motorists while 69% backed restrictions on the number of passengers newly-qualified drivers could carry. | In a poll of 2,500 people commissioned by the ABI, 75% thought not letting new drivers take the test for 12 months would help to reduce high death and serious injury rates among young motorists while 69% backed restrictions on the number of passengers newly-qualified drivers could carry. |