Should it go ahead the trials are now complete. Details below
PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE DRIVING TEST?
DVSA want to review the practical driving test because of the high crash rate in the first 500 miles of driving—or within the first 6-12 months after passing the test. After this time, the accident rate is reduced considerably.
DVSAs reasoning behind this is ‘vulnerability’ are: age, risk and sensation seeking personality characteristics; lifestyle factors, such as alcohol, late nights and peer pressure; impulsiveness linked to the development of risk assessment in the frontal lobe; inexperience, such as hazard perception skill and situation awareness plus specific road types and traffic situations.
In terms of road safety there are inter-related steps that could be taken, such as delaying licence acquisition, testing skill to drive safely, prompting wider supervised practice and experience pre-test.
It is said that the test needs to test relevant skills that would see an association between performance on test and later safety outcomes.
In order that this new test can be evaluated, the current test trials will determine the outcome of any changes to the current practical driving test.
Numbers on the trial:
Currently 4417 learners are registered on the trial, 1734 have passed their test and another 1244 have completed the learner driver survey.
449 have been asked to complete the novice driver survey and 310 have done so. 12 learners who passed have taken part in focus groups; and telephone interviews have been held with 18 supervising drivers.
Feedback:
So far, the conclusion is that ADIs, learners and supervising drivers have found it to be better aligned to post-test driving.
Feedback so far on Sat Nav, Manoeuvres and show me tell me:
On the whole, ADIs thought the use of a Sat Nav on the test was well received but some thought there is still a need to read road signs. People who passed the test thought it was easier to use, gave clear instructions and was more relaxing than examiner direction. Manoeuvres: pull up on the right has been the most controversial for ADIs, as it has not intuitive sense why it has been included especially in busy traffic. Most ADIs included the turn in the road in private practice regardless of whether it was on the test or not.
Test passers thought the manoeuvres were easier and more relevant as they were used often. They also thought the removal of the turn in the road was unwise as they were likely to use it post test.
ADIs thought the ‘show me tell me’ questions were relevant and felt there could be a wider pool of questions used on the move e.g. Where are the fog lights? They also thought the examiners could pose more theory style questions during the test.
Those who passed the test, felt the ‘show me tell me’ questions made them most nervous because of the uncertainty of when the question was coming but all reported they were less stressed once it had been asked.
Other supervising drivers were also canvassed their opinion and felt it better prepared the learner for independent driving as it covered various elements such as multi-tasking, basic vehicle maintenance skill and offered the opportunity to practice situations that would arise in their post-test driving.
Preliminary Findings
There wasn’t any specific difference in the time taken to learning. One outcome from those delivering training for the new test is, they spend more time on fast-flowing dual carriageways. There was no significant difference in pass rates between the trialled groups. The existing test had a pass rate of 53% and the revised test was 52.2%. The new test has an average of 5.85 faults compared to 5.51 for the older test.
There is no reported difference in the confidence level of both groups after passing a test but the people who have taken the new test felt more confident about driving with a Sat Nav.
The existing test group had a style that was more decisive, experienced, confident and fast. There is also evidence that in both groups the pass rate was higher than expected and could be because of the self-selecting but confusingly the data does not back this up. The only real difference in training routes was the use of high speed dual carriageways for the revised test.
Feedback from Examiners.
‘The test candidates using Sat Nav appear to have a greater level of all round awareness whilst coping with the test pressures more comfortably.’
‘It’s seeming that the learners taking the trial test have strong fundamentals, confidence and are better prepared to drive independently’.
‘I think the Sat Nav is an excellent addition to the test for sure, and is proving to be the case with the standard of candidates that I am seeing taking the test. I feel we have added extra depth to the driving test and this is certainly the way forward.’
Feedback from ADIs
‘The trial test is far superior to the current test. It forces ADIs to support learners in gaining a superior toolkit to that gained then training towards the current test. I would welcome the National Standards being updated to include these new elements.’
The first ADI to present a candidate for test said: 1 can’t wait for the test to be implemented, it just makes sense. All my pupils have signed up to the trial and are really enjoying it.’
Whilst there is someway to go, to summarise:
 More time driving on dual carriageways
 More time following Sat Nav with an ADI
 Greater Confidence in using the Sat Nav (but no greater confidence in being safe with other distractions and driving skill)
 A driving style that is less decisive, experienced, confident and fast
 The pass rate is indistinguishable from the existing test but with slightly more driving faults
 The new test is better aligned to post-test driving
 There is a possible training bias
Training Examiners is proposed to begin in October with the new test implemented in March 2017. However, there will be no change to the existing driving test if the results of the trial do not show that this is likely to have a positive impact on road safety.

Of all the things to be drunk in charge of!Snow plough driver banned for drink driving offence
A snow plough driver was yesterday banned from driving for two years and fined £600 for refusing to provide a specimen of his breath to police who suspected him of drink driving.
Paul Boax, 47, whose address was given at Fort William Sheriff Court as 4B Bellsland Place, Kilmarnock, admitted committing the offence at Fort William police station on March 6.
Fiscal depute Stewart Maciver said police asked him to provide breath for analysis after the car he was driving was involved in an accident on the A830 Fort William to Mallaig road at Corpach.
Hamish Melrose, representing Boax, told the court his client, who stays at Linnhe Caravan Park, Annat Point, has been living in Lochaber for more than two years and works for Bear Scotland.
He said: “My client had been drinking in Corpach area and foolishly decided to jump in his car, but didn’t get very far before he went off the road and collided with a garden fence.”
Mr Melrose said Boax hit his head on the windscreen and suffered concussion and his car was substantially damaged in the accident.

Mot rules change!Can you drive your car after an MOT fail if the old test hasn’t expired?
The government has updated its guidelines warning motorists that they face prosecution if they drive their car following an MOT failure – even if its previous test hasn’t expired.
Some drivers put their car in for an MOT early to find out if any faults need repairing, mistakenly thinking they can use the vehicle until the old test runs out.
A lot of speculation exists around the topic online, with a number of sites claiming that drivers are within their rights to continue using a car with an in-date MOT certificate, even a tester has since deemed it un-roadworthy.
But now the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has updated its guidelines saying: “You must not drive the vehicle on the road if it fails the test, even if the MOT hasn’t run out.”
It adds that the only exceptions are to drive to have the defects fixed, or to a pre-booked MOT appointment.
If you’re caught driving a car in a dangerous condition, you could face a fine of up to £2,500

Just get insured. You put yourself at risk of inprisontment and others lives at risk. If you’re not old enough…don’t drive. ‘Shocking number of children’ caught driving without insurance, report reveals
Nearly 1,000 teenagers and children, including one as young as 11, were convicted of driving without insurance in 2014, according to new figures.
Numbers rose to a total of 991 under-17s, an increase of more than a fifth in two years, data released by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) showed.
The RAC, which obtained the statistics through Freedom of Information requests, said the number of offences was just the ” tip of the iceberg” .
Boys had 32 times the number of convictions, at 961, as girls (30) in 2014, while the youngest boy was aged just 11 and the youngest girl just 12.
In total, 12 boys and one girl aged 12 and 27 boys and one girl aged 13 were convicted in the same year.
RAC Insurance director Mark Godfrey said: “We found there is a shocking number of children who are caught driving before they’re even old enough to apply for a provisional licence, let alone have proper instruction.
“Sadly, we may have little choice but to accept there will always be a minority of young males who will be prepared to drive without a licence or insurance.”
The recent rise in insurance premium tax (IPT) announced in the Budget by Chancellor George Osborne was “unlikely to be helpful” in reducing number of uninsured younger drivers, he added, suggesting “black box” insurance policies should be exempt from IPT as they encourage safe driving.
Among full driving licence holders, men were three-and-half times more likely to be caught driving uninsured, with some 45,838 men convicted, compared to 12,879 women, in 2014. The figures suggested there was a 23% rise from 2012 in qualified men over 65 driving without insurance – the oldest being 94 – and a 19% increase in women in the same category, the oldest of whom were 88.
But overall there was a 6% reduction in convictions of full-, provisional- and non-licenced drivers, from 106,233 in 2012 to 100,323 in 2014.
Mr Godfrey added: “It also continues to be the case that men, and indeed boys, are far more likely to be convicted of driving without insurance than women or girls.
“But what is especially worrying is that these figures are really only the tip of the iceberg as the insurance industry estimates there are in the region of one million uninsured drivers on the road. This means only a tenth of drivers thought to be breaking the law in this way have been caught.”
He said the rise convictions among over 65s was a “surprise”, particularly as the rise in older men being convicted had grown at five times the rate of the rise in over-65 male drivers on UK roads.

I’ve tried to explain why you shouldn’t stop in a yellow box (unless turning right and your exit road is clear) countless times.
BRITAIN’S most lucrative box junction has raked in more than £5million in fines in the past three years.
Angry drivers charged £130 for being caught in the no-stop zone branded it a council “moneybox”.
A Sun investigation found the junction in Fulham, West London, earns the council £200 an hour on average.
Until recently only police could enforce rules on the boxes outside the capital. But drivers fear plans to give control to other councils will see them made cash cows.
The RAC Foundation’s Steve Gooding said: “The council shouldn’t see these huge till receipts as a sign of success but a symptom of failure. It’s inconceivable that tens of thousands of drivers are setting out to get a ticket so either there’s a problem with the road layout or signage.

Traffic lights. These baine of my existence.
Eight in ten traffic lights ‘should be ripped out to cut jams’
Report says over regulation of traffic is detrimental to road safety, the economy and the environment
Study by the Institute of Economic Affairs found economy is losing £16bn | From 2000 to 2014 traffic lights on Britain’s roads increased by 25 per cent | After a 2009 trial at the Cabstand Junction, near Bristol, traffic jams eased
The frustration of crawling towards traffic lights that seem almost permanently set to red is a daily ritual for millions of motorists.
Such delays cost the nation billions of pounds, according to researchers, and Britain would be better off if the government ripped out
80 per cent of traffic lights.
A study by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) found that a two-minute delay to every car journey made in a year equates to an astonishing loss to the economy of around £16 billion.
And the cumulative effect of unnecessary traffic regulation ‘imposes an enormous burden on the UK economy’, the IEA’s report says.
Its authors urge a radical solution, saying that car journeys would be much quicker if instead of sluggish queues at traffic lights, drivers deployed ‘voluntary cooperation’ to negotiate regulation-free roads.
Entitled ‘Seeing Red: Traffic Controls And The Economy’, the report says: ‘Not only is a high proportion of traffic regulation detrimental to road safety, the economy and the environment, it also imposes huge costs on road-users, taxpayers and communities.’
The report’s authors point to case studies from around Britain and evidence from successful schemes in both the Netherlands and Germany. After a 2009 trial switching off lights at the notorious Cabstand Junction, in Portishead near Bristol, traffic jams eased and the lights were removed – an approach the researchers want to see across the country.
‘Traffic signals could be taken out where they cause unnecessary delays, perhaps following Portishead-style trials where lights are switched off for several weeks to observe the impact

Drink and drug driving kills. THINK!
Hundreds of motorists arrested follow drink driving campaign
The Police and crime commissioner for Cambridgeshire has warned there will be no let up in the crackdown on drink driving across the county.
Full arrest figures for drink driving in Cambridgeshire for 2015:
January 60 February 79 March 88 April 75
May 76
June 73
July 81 August 75 September 90 October 79 November 78 December 80 Total 928 Average 77
The message comes after over 120 people were arrested during the festive period as a part of a seven-week campaign.
Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Sir Graham Bright said: “Drinking and driving puts people’s lives at risk and is not acceptable and targeting this irresponsible behaviour will not stop. The message is simple – do not drink and drive.”
The campaign launched by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Police Unit aimed to target those getting behind the wheel after a few drinks.
Road policing inspector Phil Bloor said: “Although our campaign against drink driving has come to an end for now, motorists shouldn’t think they won’t be caught.
“We tackle drink driving all year round, and those who think it is acceptable to drive on our roads under the influence of alcohol should be warned; we will not tolerate drink driving and will seek to prosecute offenders.”
Over the last six years the police have seen the number of people caught drink driving in Cambridgeshire has reduced to 928 compared to 1,133 in 2010.
Sir Graham added: “Although the number of people caught drink driving has decreased over the last six years, 928 in 2015 is still too many.”

Mobile phone use while driving is on the up. The most dangerous use, texting while driving is something that we see becoming more prevalent.
Drivers who use mobile phones behind the wheel will be hit with increased fines and points under new government proposals.
Offenders would see a rise from three to four penalty points on their licence and a rise in fines from £100 to £150.
The plans, to be consulted on in 2016, would also see HGV drivers hit with the same increased fines and penalty points doubled, from three to six.
An educational course to try to change behaviour could still be offered to first time offenders. Road Safety Minister Andrew Jones says HGV drivers are being specifically targeted to reflect the potential consequences of an accident.
“We are increasing the penalty points for HGV drivers because these are big, big vehicles up to 44 tonnes in weight,” he said. “The consequences of people not paying attention behind the wheel of these vehicles can be significantly greater, so that’s why we are treating them differently.”
Officers from the Central Motorway Policing Group, based in Birmingham, are catching offenders on a daily basis and welcome the proposals. Superintendent Paul Keasey says the rise in social media use is one reason why drivers are still using their mobile phones on the road, over 12 years since it became illegal.
“We almost want to know everything instantaneously and that hasn’t really transferred onto how people should be driving,” he said. “One of the big things is they don’t realise what a distraction it is. If you actually take your eyes off road for a second your braking distance is significantly reduced. “We are absolutely fully behind the government and our partners in preventing this type of occurrence happening.”
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin says the proposals are part of a wider package of measures to improve road safety.
“We have some of the safest roads in Europe but we are always looking for ways to improve that record,” he said.
“Using a mobile phone at the wheel is reckless and costs lives – I want to see it become a social taboo like not wearing a seatbelt.
“We will take action to tackle this persistent problem, with an emphasis on the most serious offenders.”
In 2013 the penalty for mobile phone use while driving was increased to £60.
In 2014 the use of a mobile phone was a factor in 21 fatal accidents and 84 serious accidents.
Source: Mail on Line

Dangerous parking is something that plagues towns and cities throughout the world. The following post just shows how bad things can get.

A farmer has been convicted of death by dangerous driving despite not being in his tractor at the time of the fatal crash, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.
David Woodcock, 38, was held responsible for killing biker Alan Horrocks even though his tractor was stationary.
He had left his large agricultural vehicle protruding onto a country lane, in Congleton, Cheshire, while he went to feed his cattle in a field on September 10 last year.
The 68-year-old failed to spot the eight tonne Caseloader and ploughed his Triumph motorbike into the side of it – which burst into flames on impact.
Emergency services rushed to the scene on Dial Lane at 8.20pm but the grandfather was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering catastrophic injuries.
On Monday, Woodcock, from Congleton, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Stoke-on- Trent Crown Court.
But the father-of-four avoided jail after being handed a two year prison sentence, suspended for two years after a judge ruled he had shown “genuine remorse.”
He was also banned from driving for two years and must take an extended test before he can drive again and ordered to complete 240 hours unpaid work.
Sentencing, Judge David Fletcher said: “You are a man who has lived a blameless life. You will live with the consequences for the rest of your life, you did not have proper regard for vulnerable road users. You will live with the consequences for the rest of your life.”
The court heard Mr Horrocks had been on his way home to Crewe from North Wales with a friend when the accident happened.
Timothy Harrington, prosecuting, said the tractor’s lights and reflectors were not on when the biker crashed into it at between 40 and 45mph in the fading light. He told the court: “Mr Horrocks simply did not see the vehicle. “He collided with it, his bike caught fire and he was tragically killed at the scene.”
Mr Harrington said Woodcock had parked the vehicle during the day and his work had taken him longer than he expected. He added: “When the light began to fade it became invisible and, sadly, in this case deadly.
“Mr Horrocks was a competent motorcyclist. It was a hobby he had gone back to.
“He had given it up while he had a family and following his retirement from work decided to take it back up.”
Robert Smith, defending, said Woodcock had desperately tried to help Mr Horrocks at the scene.
He told the court the defendant did not normally use the machine and was covering for a member of staff who had not turned up for work that day.
He said: “He has an impeccable driving record. He has driven farm vehicles and HGVs for a majority for his adult life. He was not familiar with the task he was undertaking. As farm manager he had to cover as a member of staff had not turned up to work. He has always accepted culpability for the death.”
After the case Sergeant Ian Tanner, from West Midlands Collision Investigation Unit said: “Woodcock failed to appreciate the danger his stationary vehicle posed to vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists and this error had tragic consequences.
“We would urge all road users to ‘think bike’ as even a simple lack of judgement can prove fatal to a cyclist.”
At the time, Mr Horrock’s devastated family described him as: “A much loved dad and grandad, also a good friend to many. Missed by all.” Graham Walker, an expert in road traffic law, said: “The essence of causing death by dangerous driving is that the course of driving caused the death and that the incident takes place on a road or other public place and that it would have been obvious that such driving fell far below the standard of driving expected of a careful and competent driver.
“I would suggest that what makes the present case ‘dangerous driving’, even although the driver was not behind the wheel of his vehicle at the time of impact, is the fact that he had been driving that vehicle moments prior to the collision and he was responsible for leaving the vehicle in a position that would have been obvious to a careful and competent driver must have been a danger to other road users.”
This is the second time somebody has been sentenced for causing death by dangerous driving while not behind the wheel of a vehicle.
In 2010, millionaire John Nichols, 59, made legal history after he was jailed for four years while a passenger in his wife’s car.
He was held responsible for the deaths of a young couple after allowing his partner Mary Butres, 48, to drive home after a day drinking at the races.
She ploughed into Mark Crompton, 20, and Jodie Brown, 19, at 113mph in a Jaguar XJ8 on the A1 in Great Ponton, Lincs

An act oh genius here.
20-year-old arrested after man tries to take driving test for a friend
A “knife-carrying” man allegedly tried to take a driving test for a friend while on drugs.
Police said officers from the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command arrested a suspect in Barnet on October 29. He was held at the Barnet Practical Driving Test Centre on suspicion of fraud by false representation, possession of a bladed article, having no insurance and driving over the prescribed limit