The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has recently confirmed that the driving test will receive some changes to reflect the modern age. The changes will come into effect from Monday 4th December 2017, so if you don’t like changes, get practicing and book your test before then! Firstly the independent driving section will double from 10 minutes to 20 minutes (around half the test time again.) This is to allow more high speed roads, not including motorways, to be used during the test. Collisions on the roads are the biggest killer of young people and this is primarily on these fast roads, so the DVSA want to ensure that new drivers can be assessed in this important area. Research has shown that new drivers found the independent driving section valuable and relatable once they have passed their test.
MAKING CHANGES TO THE
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Most drivers will now be asked to follow directions from a sat nav rather than road signs. Interestingly, however, one in five tests will use the old method of following road signs, so make sure you practice that just in case! 52% of drivers nowadays are following sat nav’s to get around so its important that new drivers are taught how to use them safely. The examiner will supply the sat-nav as you can’t use your own. You can ask for confirmation of where it is directing you if you’re unsure and you will not be penalised for taking a wrong turn, provided you do so in a safe manner.
the side of the road and bay parking. You could also be asked to pull up on the right side of the road, reverse for two car lengths then rejoin traffic. For the bay park your examiner will tell you to either drive in forwards or in reverse. Reverse around a corner and turn in the road will no longer be tested, but apparently your driving instructor should still teach you these.
There are now three reversing manoeuvres that will be tested. These are parallel parking at
Finally you will now have to answer vehicle safety questions whilst driving. The ‘
T S E T G IN Jack worboys
Drives... tell me’ question will still be asked before you start driving, however the ‘show me question’, such as show me how you’d clean the windscreen will be asked while you are driving. This should better assess the driver’s ability to have a conversation whilst driving. The changes were made through a consultation with over 3,900 people and trialed with over 4,300 learners and 860 instructors. Of these groups, 88% agreed with the increase of independent driving, 71% agreed with sat nav directions, 79% agreed with the changes to the reversing manoeuvres and 78% agreed with asking the show me question during driving.
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The changes have been made in an attempt to reduce the number of collisions resulting in fatalities and serious injuries on Britain’s roads, particularly with young people. The DVSA also wants to keep the test up to date with modern technology as sat nav’s become more widely accepted and used. This all sounds good to me, anything that improves safety on the roads is a very important thing!
For FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHANGES, VISIT WWW.GOV.UK & SEARCH DRIVING TEST CHANGE
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