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.