On the 4thDecember the UK Driving Test underwent the most significant changes since the theory test was introduced in 1996.
The UK practical Driving Test has been updated to “make sure new drivers have the skills they need to help them through a lifetime of safe driving”.
Independent Driving section of the test.
This part has doubled in duration and now occupies 50% of the allocated time for a Driving Test, that being 40 minutes.
The DVSA is keen to make the UK Driving Test is as reflective of real life driving practices as possible, so is embracing the technology that drivers use when on the road.
So, for the Independent Driving section of the test, 4 out of 5 candidates will follow directions given by a Sat Nav devise for 20 minutes.
The object here, appears to be aimed at assessing if a candidate can manage the distraction that such a devise can cause and whether the instructions from the devise can be followed safely.
We have all heard stories of drivers following instructions given by Sat Nav’s into rivers……or worse!
Thinking about safety, more focus on forward driving must be a good thing, as, if you think about it, slow speed manoeuvres are much less likely to kill anyone.
DVSA has updated the manoeuvres section of the test as well.
Reversing around a corner and the turn in the road (three- point turn) have been removed and replaced by manoeuvres that are more representative of those commonly used by drivers.
However, DVSA has said at a briefing, that instructors should still teach the old manoeuvres, particularly the turn in the road, just in case when out on test they get stuck and the candidate needs to turn the car around in the road.
Surely then the TIR is representative of real life driving?
The new manoeuvres that have been introduced are:
- drive into a parking bay on the left or right and reverse out to the left or right
- pull up on the right-hand side of the road. Reverse back 2 car lengths and re-join traffic
Ensuring that a driver can park in a car parking bay is of course very important and the new manoeuvre has been well received by the driving industry.
The UK has many drivers that have a “parking phobia”, which means that often they will change their plans if a car park is very full and there aren’t lots of bays that are unoccupied.
Pulling up on the right -hand side of the road, facing against the traffic flow has been less well received by the industry, including DVSA’s own Driving Test examiners!
The reason is that in the Highway Code, it states “do not park facing against the traffic flow”.
This advice is in the code for a reason, so by introducing this manoeuvre, the DVSA has scored a bit of an own goal.
DVSA co- produces the Highway Code in association with the Ministry of Transport!!
There is also a change to the “show me questions” asked by the examiner. These will now be done on the move, so it’s move representative of real life riving.
The candidate will be asked to operate an ancillary, like a windscreen wiper etc. This of course is all about testing the ability to multi task.
Let’s hope that the new Driving Test leads to a reduction in the figures for those killed or seriously injured and make the roads safer for all users.
