The effectiveness of the current UK driving test

[MattA7]

An article in today's Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/traditional-manual-handbrake-motoring-extinction-list/ referred to the rise of elelectronic handbrakes, such that a survey by car sales website CarGurus UK found that only 13 per cent of new models currently on sale have the ratcheted lever that has for so long been a driving staple. It also made the point that today's learners don't have to know how to do a hill-start by finding the 'biting point' because the car they learn on, and pass their test on, does not have a ratchet hand brake. How would this work if such a learner had to do a hill start in an older car with a ratchet handbrake?

The auto hold feature doesn’t work on my car same with start/stop however strangely works fine when other people drive the car. Never managed to figure that one out.

 

[Gloster]

I imagine most (if not all) full license holders have passed a driving test. Those who got there license before the test was compulsory were allowed to keep their license but it’s unlikely anyone in that situation will be still alive as the test became mandatory in 1935.

I was referring to those who can’t be bothered to take a test or have failed but drive anyway. Considering the number of people who do get caught in the relatively compact area of the Isle of Wight, I suspect that there are a lot of people who are driving without a licence or insurance.

 

[Joe Paxton]

I imagine most (if not all) full license holders have passed a driving test. Those who got there license before the test was compulsory were allowed to keep their license but it’s unlikely anyone in that situation will be still alive as the test became mandatory in 1935.

Except when it wasn't!

GOV.UK - History of road safety, The Highway Code and the driving test

Driving tests were suspended on 2 September 1939 for the duration of World War 2. During the war, examiners were redeployed to traffic duties and supervision of fuel rationing.
[...]

Testing resumed on 1 November 1946 following the end of World War 2 the previous year.
[...]

On 18 February 1947, a period of 1 year was granted for wartime provisional licences to be converted into full licence without passing the test.
[...]

 

[MotCO]

Soap Box Time:

I have noticed many posts referring to driving license. The noun is Licence, as in Driving Licence (have a look at the title at the top of your bit of plastic); license is a verb as in 'you are licensed to drive a car'.

Rant over

 

[greyman42]

An article in today's Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/traditional-manual-handbrake-motoring-extinction-list/ referred to the rise of elelectronic handbrakes, such that a survey by car sales website CarGurus UK found that only 13 per cent of new models currently on sale have the ratcheted lever that has for so long been a driving staple. It also made the point that today's learners don't have to know how to do a hill-start by finding the 'biting point' because the car they learn on, and pass their test on, does not have a ratchet hand brake. How would this work if such a learner had to do a hill start in an older car with a ratchet handbrake?

Why is the automatic gearbox on the extinction list?

 

[MattA7]

Why is the automatic gearbox on the extinction list?

Possibly because EVs don’t really have gears or transmissions and most people who buy a ICE car/van still prefer a manual transmission.

 

[BingMan]

One of my companies offerings were that all company car drivers could go out for an advanced drivers lesson every few years. We all found it very worthwhile to brush up on a few techniques and sort out developing bad habits. It also showed us how new drivers are taught and some things were very different to when I passed my test. Block gear changing was new for example.
My dad's claim to fame was never having passed a driving test. He was born in 1925 and when the war started he was a mechanic so got given a driving licence and told to use it.

When my father was learning to drive, in the 1960s, he was accompanied by a friend who had a driving licence, issued in the 1920s, but who was unable to drive.

 

[ainsworth74]

Personally I think that the test itself is probably sufficient to the task. My thought is more that you can then go decades without having to demonstrate physical (or mental) fitness to drive nor familiarity with the highway code nor any updates that have happened since you passed. I do think this is something that needs some thought!

Possibly because EVs don’t really have gears or transmissions and most people who buy a ICE car/van still prefer a manual transmission.

Yes I've been thinking that the ways things are going I may never even drive an automatic let alone own one! Feel like I'm likely to go straight from manual to EV.

 

[DelW]

An article in today's Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/traditional-manual-handbrake-motoring-extinction-list/ referred to the rise of elelectronic handbrakes, such that a survey by car sales website CarGurus UK found that only 13 per cent of new models currently on sale have the ratcheted lever that has for so long been a driving staple. It also made the point that today's learners don't have to know how to do a hill-start by finding the 'biting point' because the car they learn on, and pass their test on, does not have a ratchet hand brake. How would this work if such a learner had to do a hill start in an older car with a ratchet handbrake?

They might well have difficulty, but that's often been the case if someone has to drive an older car than they're used to. How many drivers qualified in the last say twenty years would know about use of a manual choke, or hand signals (both required when I took my test), let alone going back further to starting handles and manual advance / retard of the ignition. Cars do more and more things automatically as they evolve, for instance in my current car I never turn the lights on or off, indeed it's impossible to turn them off if the car wants them on!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Trust me - the driving test in the USA is a joke - loads of crashes etc too.

 

[Ken H]

Trust me - the driving test in the USA is a joke - loads of crashes etc too.

I get videos from an American lady who moved to Leeds, on Faceache. She says driving in the UK is VERY hard compared to the US. We have towns with narrow streets and single track roads in the country. And main roads with bends on them. She learned to drive UK style and took a UK driving test which she said was a lot harder than the US one. I think you are bang on the money m8.

 

[Dima]

One thing that puzzled me is that you don't have to be able to read or speak English to pass the current driving test and thereby gain a licence.

Since 2014, one can only take a test in English, Welsh or British sign language: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/driving-test-language-support

 

[Merle Haggard]

Since 2014, one can only take a test in English, Welsh or British sign language: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/driving-test-language-support

Thanks, that's interesting. There were a few prosecutions of the 'and asked for 42 other offences to be taken into consideration' type of fraudulent translators, I didn't realise that the loophole had been closed.

 

[Roast Veg]

I took part in the driver 2020 survey, as that is when I obtained my provisional licence. The survey was an attempt to coerce me into saying that I wasn't comfortable driving at night or looking distance, with a view to banning newly qualified drivers from doing either for a year after passing.

I responded harshly against the proposition, as the only driving I ever seem to do is "after hours" - even my lessons were in the dark when I had them!

 

[OscarH]

I passed my test in March last year. I think there is an element of teaching people to pass the test, particularly with certain instructors, while others are very keen to not do that.

However, I think the test is still miles more effective than it was in the past, even if it possible to somewhat game it, and there's no simple solution to prevent it that I can see. And I don't see it as the biggest priority, the vast majority of drivers I've personally seen making stupid unintentional errors (not people doing it intentionally for fun, because no test can fix that) are experienced drivers (I suppose you can't tell, they might have passed when they were older, but on balance of probability)

Something to test people every x years would be a better place to invest, but that's also a very difficult one to solve

The survey was an attempt to coerce me into saying that I wasn't comfortable driving at night or looking distance, with a view to banning newly qualified drivers from doing either for a year after passing.

This would be such a terrible idea, I did a decent chunk of lessons at night, and strongly recommend it, dropping people into it after a year alone is just dumb, surely the bigger problem is people who's eyesight has deteriorated over years driving at night

 

[danm14]

It also made the point that today's learners don't have to know how to do a hill-start by finding the 'biting point' because the car they learn on, and pass their test on, does not have a ratchet hand brake. How would this work if such a learner had to do a hill start in an older car with a ratchet handbrake?

Having recently passed my driving test, am I the only one that finds it  easier to perform a hill-start in a car with a traditional handbrake than an electronic one?

My driving instructor actually urged me not to use his car for the driving test for that reason unless I wanted to fail, as no matter how much I practiced, I would always manage to either roll back and/or stall the engine in spite of the functions designed to prevent this - something I never did on my own car with none of the electronic assistance.

 

[Lucan]

I think there is an element of teaching people to pass the test

No kidding. I never had professional driving lessons, my father mentored me and I largely taught myself. My driving test was on roads I had never seen (let alone driven on) before in my life, but I was shocked to see driving school cars with learners obviously having lessons around it, so they were being taught exactly what to do at every point along the route. It is like candidates being shown exam paper questions before sitting the exam. I passed anyway.

 

[ABB125]

Having recently passed my driving test, am I the only one that finds it  easier to perform a hill-start in a car with a traditional handbrake than an electronic one?

I hate electronic handbrakes, so would agree with you. Last year I had to attempt a hill start in a slightly wheezy Nissan Xtrail with a dodgy turbo. In a bumpy field. At least 30 degree angle. With a trailer. I simply couldn't do it, due to the electronic handbrake, stalling at every attempt. Had it been a manual handbrake, I'm pretty certain I'd have been fine.

 

[Adam Williams]

Having recently passed my driving test, am I the only one that finds it  easier to perform a hill-start in a car with a traditional handbrake than an electronic one?

My driving instructor actually urged me not to use his car for the driving test for that reason unless I wanted to fail, as no matter how much I practiced, I would always manage to either roll back and/or stall the engine in spite of the functions designed to prevent this - something I never did on my own car with none of the electronic assistance.

I kinda think if you're going to have all of these gizmos it's almost better not to try and persist with manual transmission.

I'm not a massive fan of my car's electronic handbrake, it also makes it difficult to check if it's currently engaged or not, because the LED will decide to turn itself off after a while.

 

[cb a1]

No kidding. I never had professional driving lessons, my father mentored me and I largely taught myself. My driving test was on roads I had never seen (let alone driven on) before in my life, but I was shocked to see driving school cars with learners obviously having lessons around it, so they were being taught exactly what to do at every point along the route. It is like candidates being shown exam paper questions before sitting the exam. I passed anyway.

When I learnt to drive many years ago, I recall my instructor telling me that they there were not allowed to take people on the same routes as the driving tests. However, it would be impossible not to have some level of interaction.
It took me two attempts to pass my driving test (in different cities a few years apart) and both tests included roads and junctions that my driving lessons had not covered.

 

[gg1]

Having recently passed my driving test, am I the only one that finds it  easier to perform a hill-start in a car with a traditional handbrake than an electronic one?

On a car with manual gears I agree, hill starts on my last car (manual gears/electric handbrake) were definitely more awkward than on previous cars.

I now drive an automatic where I can see the advantage of them but on manuals they're just annoying.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Having recently passed my driving test, am I the only one that finds it  easier to perform a hill-start in a car with a traditional handbrake than an electronic one?

My driving instructor actually urged me not to use his car for the driving test for that reason unless I wanted to fail, as no matter how much I practiced, I would always manage to either roll back and/or stall the engine in spite of the functions designed to prevent this - something I never did on my own car with none of the electronic assistance.

Definitely. Electronic handbrakes are just rubbish and pointless. Like for a proper spare wheel, I'd pay extra NOT to have one.

 

[owidoe]

When I learnt to drive many years ago, I recall my instructor telling me that they there were not allowed to take people on the same routes as the driving tests. However, it would be impossible not to have some level of interaction.
It took me two attempts to pass my driving test (in different cities a few years apart) and both tests included roads and junctions that my driving lessons had not covered.

That's definitely changed, or maybe my instructor (back in 2019) was just bending the rules for me: he had memorised every route the test centre ever did, and took me round two or three per lesson. He even pointed out the pub whose car park they used to test bay parking, which instructors were banned from because it annoyed the customers.

 

[dangie]

Surely the purpose of the driving test is to check the individual can control the vehicle safely to a minimum standard which would be expected from a new driver, with regard to themselves and other road users. Experience comes with time.

 

[MotCO]

Like for a proper spare wheel, I'd pay extra NOT to have one.

I prefer a proper full size spare, rather than a bottle of gunk to repair the puncture, but these are thin on the ground now. My brother in law's tyre burst on a motorway - a bottle of gunk was of no use to him.

 

[Foxhunter]

Electronic handbrakes are just rubbish and pointless.

Marmite. They are either hated or loved. When test driving my Kuga as a replacement for my Passat, the Ford salesman was unimpressed with me saying it felt like a Fred Flintstone car because it had a handbrake.

But I understand that Passat's were very rare as hire cars because, faced with an electric handbrake for the first time, most drivers found them unintuitive; I imagine plenty did not make it out of the parking lot.

Rowing quickly back to topic .. I get depressed that poor driving skills sometimes starts a young vs old slanging match. My observation is that there are sh*t and discourteous drivers out there of all ages and genders.* A mandatory refresher course, with no pass/fail like the speed awareness courses, seems a good idea to me. Maybe 5 years from passing the test, then every 10-15. Also quite a fan of P plates - let's give novice drivers a little extra courtesy and attention.

* However, don't get me started on Surrey

 

[dangie]

Before we bought our Ford Kuga I took it for a test drive. It was parked in the dealers forecourt facing uphill. I had never driven a car with electronic handbrake before. I started the engine then dabbed the accelerator. The car then suddenly began rolling backwards towards the showroom window. Luckily it wasn’t too close so I managed to arrest it in time. ‘Bloody hell…… that was close…..’ Nearly turned into the shortest test drive ever.

After that initial fright….. we bought the car and I have to say I like the electronic handbrake. Just takes a bit of getting used to.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Kugas are available with both, I actively sought out a base model because I didn't want leather seats nor the two most awful modern car features, an electronic handbrake or a touchscreen instead of physical controls. (I think the latter should actually be banned for basic functions - all indications, heating etc should be mandated to have physical controls to be usable blind while moving).

Releasing it when you dab the throttle seems a really, really stupid idea. The footbrake should have to be applied, or the car in gear and the clutch coming up, to release it.

 

[Lost property]

When I learnt to drive many years ago, I recall my instructor telling me that they there were not allowed to take people on the same routes as the driving tests. However, it would be impossible not to have some level of interaction.
It took me two attempts to pass my driving test (in different cities a few years apart) and both tests included roads and junctions that my driving lessons had not covered.

Well quite given I took my test in Holyhead (no shortage of hills for hill starts) and the route then went via T'bay, Valley and the (in)famous cross roads and, at the time, only set of traffic lights for miles, and then back via the A5..."difficult" as they say not to become familiar with the route as there was / were no other options.

However, I've subsequently encountered the modern theory examination, well in part, when working for the Guvvmint who insisted I take it before being let loose with their vehicles...this proved to be a revelation in part. They also insisted on me demonstrating I could park the vehicle...but no other driving skills.

The current driving test may well be markedly different from its predecessors but, I would suggest modern vehicles, unlike many of the "death traps" in the past, lull drivers into a false sense of security...hence people simply start the engine, turn the steering wheel, and consider this to be driving.

 

[MotCO]

(I think the latter should actually be banned for basic functions - all indications, heating etc should be mandated to have physical controls to be usable blind while moving).

Fully agree with this. If you can't use your mobile while driving, why should you be able to /have to use an iPad to turn the heating down?