Post date: 23-Sep-2015 12:04:08

The biggest changes to motoring laws since the 1933 introduction of the driving test is under development within a Department of Transport consultation paper.

The driving test pass rate is a major concern with it standing at below 50%. From closer inspection of the number of driving lessons before undertaking the driving test, with those who failed, people are taking too few lessons before testing. This may be a cost issue or simply fear of a long wait so they are booking tests very early (perhaps tutors are encouraging this?) which then arrive much sooner than anticipated and they take it when obvious they will fail unless they are lucky. The government has a target of a 6 week wait which increased in 2014 to 8 weeks with a shortage of examiners.

The government proposes additional evening and weekend test times and upon passing the examination centre will help organise the newly qualified driver by taking and supplying the driving licence photo to speed up the process of obtaining their licence. Good idea.

The draft does state that driving centres could be closed and that the DVSA and DVLA contact centres could be merged. To keep overall costs down it is possible that partial privatisation of the driving test by permitting private companies to run the practical examination are being considered.

Important to note is that the government may raise the age limit for when a driver must declare themselves fit to drive from the current 70 to 75 years of age.

This document is not yet finished and will not be published in its final form until October 2015. The source of the draft, don't ask how they obtained it as it may be another public servant selling for cash to the national press which has gone on far too much in the last 15 years, is the Independent on Sunday.

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