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.