Why Are Less People Than Ever Passing Their Driving Tests?
Published: 03/09/2019
Less people are passing their driving tests than ever before, new figures show.
Learner drivers in the UK failing their tests have seen pass rates fall to their lowest level in a decade, according to DVSA figures obtained by the Press Association. Figures show the car driving test pass rate was 45.8 per cent in the year 2018/19, the lowest figure since 45.3 per cent in 2008/9.
Many are blaming the overall lack of individuals receiving their licences on a new “dangerous” parallel parking manoeuvre that has been added to the test. It requires drivers to pull up on the right-hand side of the road, reverse for two car lengths and re-join the traffic. The manoeuvre was added to the standard UK driving test in December 2017. Since then, pass rates have declined.
There is also a new 20-minute independent driving section, with drivers being asked to work a sat nav device, and two ‘show me, tell me’ questions during the test. Examples include operating the windscreen washer.
Despite these new additions however, the DVSA has stated that the driving test isn’t any more difficult than it has been in the past. Drivers, on the other hand, are not preparing themselves enough, it stated.
Indeed, it seems there are definitely drivers out there who are in no way prepared to take their test but are attempting to do so anyway. In 2018, somebody took the test 20 times before they passed. That is the year’s record. In 2017, the record was 17 attempts, resulting in a final result of - fail!
Scarily, figures also show that many drivers are becoming involved in car incidents soon after obtaining their licences. Recent reports suggest that one in five drivers crash within a year of passing their driving test.
As a result, it’s been suggested that the Government should impose stricter rules on new drivers, in an attempt to improve road safety. Some suggest that new drivers should not be able to drive in the dark for the first few months after getting their licence, for example. Another restriction that could potentially be included if the new law came in place is not allowing new drivers to have passengers below a certain age in the car as passengers.
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