Why Are There No Driving Tests Available?

Why is there no driving test dates available?

Increase in demand for driving lessons and tests – In 2022 we carried out 1.8m car driving tests, 6% more than pre-COVID-19 levels. This increase in throughput was believed to be due to the pent-up demand caused by the disruption to the service caused by the pandemic. We forecasted that this increase in demand would reduce and return to normal levels.

So far, in 2023 up to the end of May we have received around 800,000 new bookings for driving tests which showed that the increase in demand for tests has continued. This has potentially resulted in a 7% increase in demand for driving tests compared to before the pandemic. The interim findings from the recent ‘Working as a driving instructor’ survey also indicate that you are still facing increased demand for lessons.

This supports the fact that the demand to gain a car driving licence has increased. Thank you, if you have already completed the survey. The interim results of responses between 1 and 19 June also show that:

on average you train 20 pupils at any given time only 28% of you currently have any availability to take on new pupils, compared to 32% in October 22 (down 4% ). 63% of you currently have a waiting list, with just over a quarter of you stating that you have a waiting list of more than 10 learners

As well as increased demand, there have been other things that have affected our driver testing service, such as industrial action. Impact of sustained industrial action The recent national and regional industrial action that has affected driving tests going ahead has also impacted driving test waiting times.

Since the industrial action started in December 2022, there have been 48 days of action that directly affected driving tests. This resulted in around 25,000 driving tests being cancelled and rebooked due to industrial action. This meant that your pupils whose tests were affected had to wait longer to take their test.

It also reduced the number of available test appointments, for new bookings leading to an increase in waiting times. To minimise the effect the action had on tests, we:

increased the number of examiners working in regions where strikes were taking place offered tests over weekends and bank holidays asked all DVSA warrant card holders to do driving tests

The planned industrial action in June was called off to enable further discussions to take place between the unions and the government.

Why is it so hard to find a driving test?

Why we’ve put these proposals forward – We currently have the highest demand we’ve ever known for driving tests. There are 3 main reasons for this:

• fewer tests than usual have taken place because of restrictions and other factors related to the pandemic
• learner drivers who are not yet ready to take their test have heard that waiting times are high, causing them to book earlier than they normally would
• the pass rate for driving tests – for many years, less than half of people pass on their first attempt, meaning they’ll need to take at least one more test

Many driving instructors tell us that some learner drivers want to pass their driving test as quickly and cheaply as possible. They say they are unable to stop their pupils from booking a test before they are ready. We’ve put forward some of these proposals because we think they’ll:

• encourage learner drivers to be better prepared for their driving test
• help to reduce the number of driving test appointments that are wasted
• give us more flexibility in how and when we can carry out driving tests

Other proposals will help us to:

• find out more about what information learner drivers and their families want to know when choosing a driving instructor – which in the longer term will help learner drivers to find the best driving instructor for them
• move to replace paper pass certificates with digital versions, saving millions of sheets of paper each year

Which country has the hardest driving test?

Which Countries Have the Easiest Driving Theory Tests? – Bangladesh has the easiest driving theory test, which consists of just 9 questions. Egypt and Belarus aren’t far behind as the easiest places to pass a driving theory test. Learners only need to answer 10 questions. Comparing the Minimum Number of Driving Lessons Needed In Australia, learner drivers must complete 120 hours of practical driving before they can even sit a practical driving test. This is the highest requirement of all the countries that we studied. The country with the second highest number of practical driving hours required was Croatia, with 100 hours.

1. Interestingly, learner drivers in Croatia are also assessed on their personality type and fitness to drive.
2. In Russia, 50 hours of driving experience is required, making it the third highest.
3. This could be to prepare learners for not one, but two practical driving tests they need to pass.
4. The first practical test consists of an obstacle driving course which is followed by an on-road exam.

In contrast, there are over 20 countries that don’t have a minimal threshold for practical driving experience. This includes: Interested to know which countries have the highest minimum requirement for practical driving lessons? Take a look at the table below. Where are the Easiest & Hardest Countries to Pass Your Driving Test? We gave each country an index score to reflect how stringent the process is to learn how to drive. The index score equally rates driving theory and practical driving requirements. Countries with the most driving theory questions were given higher scores, and the same approach was taken with the number of practical driving hours required. China, Hungary and Montenegro are the hardest countries to pass your driving test. On balance, these countries have tough theory tests and require more practical experience before being able to sit a practical test. In contrast, Bangladesh, Belarus and Egypt are the easiest countries, with minimal theory and practical experience needed to sit a driving test. Fun Facts

In Japan, drivers must stay at 19mph or under during the entire test or they fail instantly. In India, driving examiners were not required to sit in the vehicle until 2013 – pass rates dropped by 50% when this changed. The Spanish highway code is the most detailed in Europe and is three times the length of the UK. In Greece, there tends to be two examiners in the back of the car during the test, with the instructor in the front. Driving tests in Pakistan require you to simply drive through a short track marked out by cones and then reverse back. In Finland, night driving and a skid pan session to help learners adjust to driving in the rain is part of the practical test.

Methodology The dataset was compiled through research into each country. We have not included countries where full datasets could not be found. You can find the full dataset here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Grmksns5B8o5MrYF_zjltR3hsnyxkOEtUvfE_tOKFNo/edit#gid=0

How do I book a driving test if none is available?

How to book a driving test date if there’s no availability – The DVSA allow you to book a car test for up to 24 weeks. If you can’t find any available test slots in the next 24 weeks, you could try booking a practical driving test at a different test centre with more availability.

You can then use our cancellation service to find driving test appointments at your preferred test centre and move your booking to an earlier date. Don’t forget, it’s your responsibility to manage your driving test booking, so if you can’t take your test, you must change or cancel it with the DVSA at least 3 working days before the date of your test.

Our driving test cancellations app will frequently monitor cancellation slots at your chosen test centre(s) for the dates you can take the test and will send you a notification as soon as a suitable test becomes available. We can even book the cancellation slot for you.

What is the hardest thing in a driving test?

The Hardest Part Of Passing A Driving Test Is Nerves! – The hardest part of passing a driving test isn’t remembering to signal, doing head checks, or reverse parking. No, the hardest part is dealing with the nerves of driving a car while having your every move monitored by an examiner, and knowing that a few mistakes could cause you to fail your test.

What is the most driving tests taken?

A South Korean woman who spent over £11,000 attempting to get her driving licence, finally succeeded on her 960th attempt. Although the day she passed is almost 15 years ago, the story has risen to prominence recently after it has been reshared thousands of times on Reddit – and in the process has made international news.

1. In the weeks following her successful test, she became a national celebrity for her tenacity and commitment.
2. Cha Sa-Soon’s first attempt at the written test took place in April 2005, but she unfortunately failed.
3. Despite the disappointment, she continued to relentlessly take the test for the next few years.

In total, Sa-soon sat the exam every day, five days a week over three years. She then reduced this to two exams a week, until she finally passed the written test on her 860th attempt. She then attempted to pass the practical test. But as you might imagine, this was also a challenging ordeal.

• Cha Sa-Soon had to take the practical test an eye-watering 100 times, bringing the total number of driving examinations up to 960 before being able to have a full driving licence.
• The estimated cost for all these exams was around £11,000 – not including driving lessons.
• Her continued dedication to passing was driven by the fact that she needed to be able to drive for her vegetable-selling business.

According to Cha Sa-Soon’s driving instructor, when she finally passed, it was ‘a huge burden off their backs’.

15 driving test tips to help you pass first time How to pass your driving test – a full guide from novice to pro How much does it cost to learn to drive?

Cha Sa-Soon’s instructor, at Jeonbuk Driving School, said: “When she finally got her licence, we all went out cheering and hugged her, giving her flowers. “We hadn’t had the guts to tell her to quit because she kept showing up.” Following the news of her success at the 960th attempt, South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai gifted her a brand new vehicle worth £11,640.

• Her story recently resurfaced on global content sharing platform, Reddit, where members have been sharing their thoughts.
• One Redditor said: “I believe if you take a test nearly 1,000 times, you might have the whole thing committed to memory at that point.” Another said: “But now that she passed a very specific driving situation under ideal circumstances, surely she’s fully capable of driving a death machine under all types of conditions, right?” And another wrote: “960 times? That sounds like a systemic failure.

It wastes everyone’s time if you don’t have a mandatory 1-month or 1-week wait period.” What do you make of Cha Sa-Soon’s story? Do you have your own incredible journey to obtain your driving licence? Leave your comments below. Are you learning to drive? The Driving Theory Test UK app is a great place to start.

Is Dutch driving test hard?

The long and winding road to getting a Dutch driving licence Getting a driving licence in the Netherlands is far from easy – and if you are not lucky enough to come from an EU country, you will have to pass the skills and the theory test, even if you have been driving for decades.

Dutch News readers have been sharing their experiences with Brandon Hartley. You may have a driving licence from another country, but in the Netherlands, you will need a rijbewijs, Some, like EU nationals and people from parts of Canada can just swap out their original licences in certain circumstances.

The same applies if you are here on a high skilled migrant scheme. The motor vehicle registration department has all the details about, But if you can’t, then you have no choice but to take the dreaded theory and practical tests, with everything they entail: a certain number of lessons, typically determined by an instructor at a driving school, filling out a health form, passing two exams overseen by the CBR, and paying the fees for all of the above. Photo: Brandon Hartley You will also have to earn yourr rijbewijs after you’ve established residency in the Netherlands. After this you are technically no longer legally allowed to drive in the country with a foreign one. Successfully accomplishing this goal within such a tight time frame is arguably impossible given the current waiting lists – up to five months in some areas.

The first part is a theory exam that tests knowledge of Dutch traffic rules. The second is a practical exam that takes place behind the wheel. To further complicate matters, a student is not allowed to schedule a practical exam until they get the go-ahead from their instructor. The requirements may become in the years to come.

The CBR and other organisations are currently mulling over whether or not to require students to get approval from instructors from two separate driving schools along with passing even more exams before they can hit the road. Predatory instructors A reader named John had an American licence for many years when he decided to get a rijbewijs,

His initial experience with driving schools didn’t go well. ‘The first instructor ended up being the type I had always envisioned,’ John said. ‘He was a heavy-set older guy who talked about the other American-licensed drivers he had previously as students, why it was better to have more lessons than fewer, and answered several phone calls.

Then, out of the blue, he brings up that he’d had Covid the week before, but the doctor said he wasn’t contagious anymore. I was shocked he hadn’t mentioned this sooner.’ When the trial lesson ended, the instructor estimated John would need 20 more lessons to prepare for the practical exam.

1. It was exactly as I had envisioned, a Dutch driving instructor trying to milk an expat for money with lots of lessons despite my 35 years of driving experience,’ John said.
2. He arranged a trial lesson with another instructor who determined he only needed ten.
3. John now has a rijbewijs and said the entire process took him about 14 months.

Unlearn what you have learned Along with instructors trying to get them to sign up for as many lessons as possible, other readers said they had instructors with fierce tempers. Molly, a journalist who works for Dutch News, is among those who encountered an instructor with a short fuse.

After a heated trial lesson culminated with him concluding she’d need another 25 to 30 lessons despite having 15 years of driving experience, she looked for a second opinion. She eventually found a calmer instructor but was still aggravated by the experience. ‘I found much of it incredibly annoying,’ Molly said.

‘It’s very degrading to have to do something that you already know how to do and have someone sitting next to you and telling you how you’re apparently supposed to be doing it.’ Tram, bike, car – who has priority? Photo: Brandon Hartley Other readers expressed similar frustrations. They shared stories about being told they were not shifting ‘the Dutch way,’ not stopping properly at intersections, and even incorrectly looking in their rear view mirrors.

• Riding a horse is considered driving But driving lesson frustrations aside, by far the number one complaint among readers was the difficulty of questions on the theory exam.
• Many were particularly vexed by pedantic ones concerning the maximum length of various types of cargo trailers.
• There are also downright bizarre questions about different designations for pedestrians, cyclists, and others and how each is allowed to use the country’s roadways.

Horse riders, for example, are always considered drivers whether they’re actually on their horse or walking alongside it. Those about to take the exam should also be prepared for other convoluted questions that cover everything from funeral processions to whether or not low-speed mopeds and trams qualify as motor vehicles or motor carriages. Is is a bike or a carriage? Photo: Brandon Hartley The theory test consists of three parts. During the first, test takers must get 13 questions right out of 25 within six minutes. That might sound easy, but they’re given eight seconds to respond to each one.

The practical exam isn’t necessarily practical Many readers found the theory exam the most difficult part of the process, but others encountered various problems with their examiners during the practical one.Gigi from Brazil said she failed the practical exam because of the poor driving skills of another motorist.

‘I failed, according to the examiner, because when exiting a motorway I was too close to the car behind me,’ Gigi said. ‘As if I would have control over the stupid driver who accelerated while I was changing lanes.’ The setback was a costly one. After scheduling a second exam, her driving school charged her for additional lessons along with administrative fees. And who has priority here? Photo: Brandon Hartley The practical exam can be intense, but there is an alternative for nervous drivers. A reader from Tilburg recommended the (fear of failure exam). She flunked the normal one. ‘In my case, I think I drive pretty well during my lessons,’ she said.

‘But during the exam, I was so nervous that I made mistakes that I never did before.’ Big bucks On average, readers who eventually got their rijbewijs said they invested €1,500 in lessons and various fees and it took them between a year and a year-and-a-half, primarily because of long waiting times for exams.

‘It currently takes an average of 14 weeks before you can book your practical exam,’ said Else van Andel, from driving school trade publication RijschoolPro, ‘Driving instructors and driving schools are still very much affected by this. The peak was around 21 weeks in April 2022, so the situation has already improved somewhat, but the 14 weeks at the moment are an average. Photo: Brandon Hartley ‘Driving schools, I assume, are private companies,’ Amsterdammer Darío said. ‘It makes sense they want to make more money. The real issue is that the CBR gives driving schools the power to schedule your exam, so they basically hold you hostage by not letting you schedule one until they ‘deem’ you are prepared, which coincidentally is when you’ve spent a lot of money.’ Despite the expense and difficulties, which have been described as among of any country in the world, there were a few readers willing to defend them.

• And Van Andel argues that these strict policies and good infrastructure lead to better drivers and safer roads.
• Odds on Not everyone struggles, however, and some readers even managed to have the last laugh.
• When they found out I was American, they laughed,’ said Scott from Leiden.
• Several guys from the tester pool threw betting money into a pot against me.’ That was just the beginning of the hurdles he encountered during the exam.

‘They actually sent a guy on a 10 speed bike to chase me, linger in my blind spot, disappear, and pop in from the right side streets suddenly,’ he said. ‘I was driving like a grandma and the examiner was frustrated. ‘He was, like, “You are driving too slow and don’t forget to slow down when a street has the right of way except for the shark teeth and ERF zones with the bumps and some other times not, but remember the bike always has right of way!'” And then the jackass on the 10 speed would zoom in front of me from an ERF zone.’ Despite their efforts to thwart him, Scott passed.

Which EU country is easiest to pass driving test?

3: Latvia – Learn to Drive Score, 7.03/10 – Latvia is the European country where it is easiest to learn to drive, and it is the third easiest country in the world to get behind the wheel. A test in Latvia only costs £26, which is cheaper than Mexico and Qatar, but their minimum driving age is older at 16.

Where is the easiest place to drive in Europe?

Switzerland is Europe’s best country to drive in, new research has revealed. The study by the International Drivers Association analysed several factors surrounding driving in Europe and scored 33 countries based on how congested the roads are, the quality of the roads, petrol prices, and how safe driving is.

1. It found that Switzerland is the most car friendly country, with the country scoring highest on the list for its safety, with only 1.71 road traffic deaths per 100,000 people, the world’s third highest road quality score of 6.3, and a dense road network with 204km of road per 100 km2.
2. With only 604 cars per 1,000 people, this score indicated a relatively low number of vehicles and lower congestion on the road compared to other European countries.

The United Kingdom came in 18th out of the 33 nations studied due to its third-lowest road quality score of 3. However, the UK does have the fourth lowest road traffic deaths in Europe, with 2.81 deaths per 100,000 people. The Netherlands comes in second place on the list, with the country scoring 97.99 out of 100 based on several factors, including its dense road network of 332km of road per 100 km2.

The country also has the fifth lowest road traffic deaths, with 2.83 per 100,000 people, and the best road quality in Europe, with a score of 6.4, which is also the second best in the world. Coming in third place is Belgium, with the country scoring a high 83.56 due to its dense road network with 388km of road per 100 km2, which is the highest of any European country.

There are also only 590 cars per 1,000 people giving it a higher score in that department, highlighting uncongested road networks. Denmark takes the fourth position, scoring 79.11 out of 100 based on factors such as a low density of cars on the road with 540 per 1,000 people, relatively safe roads with only three road traffic deaths per 100,000 people and a road quality score of 5.3.

Rank	Country	Cars per 1,000 people	Road network density (km of road per 100 km 2 )	Road traffic deaths per 100,000 people (latest data)	Price per litre of petrol	Road quality score	Driving score /100
1	Switzerland	604	204	1.71	£1.66	6.3	100.00
2	Netherlands	588	332	2.83	£1.74	6.4	97.99
3	Belgium	590	388	5.1	£1.69	4.4	83.56
4	Denmark	540	171	3	£1.76	5.6	79.11
5	Germany	628	180	2.98	£1.62	5.3	78.40
6	Sweden	545	127	2.57	£1.64	5.3	77.60
7	Spain	627	135	3.15	£1.51	5.7	76.36
8	Cyprus	578	215	4.9	£1.28	5.1	76.07
9	Austria	632	151	4.18	£1.51	6	74.77
10	France	667	191	4.6	£1.38	5.4	74.58

Rounding out the top five is Germany, with a score of 78.40 out of 100. The country saw the seventh lowest road traffic deaths in Europe with 2.98 deaths per 100,000 people, relatively lower petrol prices than other nations and a decent road quality score of 5.3.

International Drivers Association calculated the cars per 1,000 people by collecting population numbers and the estimated number of vehicles in each countryThe road network density is the total length of road per area of 100km 2 Road traffic deaths per 100,000 people is existing data collected from the World Health OrganizationPrice per litre of Petrol has been sourced from GlobalPetrolPrices.comThe Road Quality Score is taken from the World Economic Forum

Each of these factors have been indexed to create a ‘driving score’ out of 100

Rank	Country	Cars per 1,000 people	Road network density (km of road per 100 km 2 )	Road traffic deaths per 100,000 people (latest data)	Price per litre of petrol	Roads quality score	Driving score /100
1	Switzerland	604	204	1.71	£1.66	6.3	100.00
2	Netherlands	588	332	2.83	£1.74	6.4	97.99
3	Belgium	590	388	5.1	£1.69	4.4	83.56
4	Denmark	540	171	3	£1.76	5.6	79.11
5	Germany	628	180	2.98	£1.62	5.3	78.40
6	Sweden	545	127	2.57	£1.64	5.3	77.60
7	Spain	627	135	3.15	£1.51	5.7	76.36
8	Cyprus	578	215	4.9	£1.28	5.1	76.07
9	Austria	632	151	4.18	£1.51	6	74.77
10	France	667	191	4.6	£1.38	5.4	74.58
11	Slovenia	660	192	4.41	£1.23	4.9	74.12
12	Ireland	535	142	2.92	£1.57	4.4	72.09
13	Finland	790	135	3.09	£1.75	5.3	71.93
14	Luxembourg	776	111	3.62	£1.45	5.5	70.22
15	Turkey	254	56	6.52	£1.00	5	70.13
16	Hungary	463	227	6.33	£1.42	4	68.87
17	Iceland	840	13	1.78	£1.95	4.1	67.54
18	United Kingdom	594	175	2.81	£1.66	3	67.15
19	Italy	756	162	4.13	£1.44	4.4	67.15
20	North Macedonia	205	55	4.25	£1.27	3.4	66.02
21	Ukraine	245	28	9.34	£1.17	4.9	62.67
22	Lithuania	507	129	7.24	£1.45	4.8	62.55
23	Croatia	479	48	6.58	£1.33	5.6	62.00
24	Poland	849	136	8.18	£1.25	4.3	58.76
25	Montenegro	367	56	6.53	£1.15	3.9	57.98
26	Slovakia	513	80	5.28	£1.48	4	56.77
27	Greece	606	89	6.68	£1.75	4.6	55.63
28	Czech Republic	648	71	5.54	£1.50	3.9	53.44
29	Albania	238	14	9.88	£1.52	3.9	52.96
30	Moldova	367	28	6.6	£1.15	2.6	48.68
31	Bosnia and Herzegovina	345	45	10.79	£1.27	2.8	47.11
32	Bulgaria	482	18	8.59	£1.22	3.4	46.89
33	Romania	441	36	8.54	£1.32	3	46.04

Can I put in for a cancellation driving test?

We can get you a driving test cancellation booked at your preferred test centre for any date & times of your choosing.

Is driving test cancellations for all good?

96% of our reviewers recommend Driving Test Cancellations 4 All, and Reviews.co.uk rate our driving test cancellation finder as ‘Excellent’ based on 6734 reviews. We’re also the only driving test cancellation website that is approved by Trading Standards. Let’s find you an earlier driving test now!

Why is DVSA blocking me?

Testi app Who are we? Testi is a UK based service that helps you find test cancellations and new available tests and get a driving licence as quickly as possible! How does Testi work? 1. Book your driving test with the DVSA.2. Download the Testi app and login with your DVSA login details.3.

• Sit back and relax.4.
• We will send you notifications for test cancellations and new tests (Premium account).5.
• Login to the DVSA website from Testi with one tap (no password required) and change your test.
• How likely is it that you will find me an earlier test? There is a very good chance that we will – we check the DVSA website for you and let you know once we find a cancellation or a new test (*we don’t guarantee to send a notification for every test that we find).

Why do I need your service? You can try do it yourself but you’ll need to spend a lot of time login into the DVSA website to see if suitable slots are available – people catch these tests quickly and without our service it will be very difficult to make it.

What features does Testi have? – Instant login to the DVSA website (one tap only, no password required). – Check available tests inside the Testi app. – Automated checks for new tests (cancellations and new available tests) (Premium account). – Notifications service for new tests (Premium account). – Up to 3 additional test centers nearby (Premium account).

– Support for up to 5 devices per driving licence (Premium account). What does a premium account give me? – Notifications service for new available tests. – Up to 3 additional test centers nearby. – Support for up to 5 devices per driving licence. – Unlimited use until you pass your driving test.

• Free from advertisements.
• Premium account is attached to your driver licence number.
• You pay once and you can only use it with your driving licence.
• I’ve been using Testi for a while, I failed my test – what should I do now? Testi requires a valid booking for a driving test in order to find you a cancellation, please follow these steps: 1.

Log in to the DVSA website from your computer and rebook a new driving test.2. Log out from Testi.3. Log in with your new test reference. * If you had a Premium account before, your account will stay Premium. I failed my test and re booked a new one, the profile has not updated on the app and I’m no longer getting notifications.

What should I do? You will have to log in again with your new test reference, please follow these steps: 1. Log out from Testi.2. Log in with your new test reference. * If you had a Premium account before, your account will stay Premium. I changed my test to an earlier one, but the profile hasn’t been updated.

What should I do? You will need to refresh your profile on the app in order to update the information. I’m trying to login to the DVSA website from the app, but I get error code 14 – what does this mean? The DVSA website has protection against spam. If you try to login too many times your account will be blocked for a few hours.

• We recommend using our Premium service and avoid checking the DVSA website every few minutes.
• I have entered my details correctly and it keep saying login failed! what should I do? If your test has passed, you will have to book a new one through the DVSA website before you can login to Testi.
• I tap on a test and I keep getting `Test Not Found` message – what’s the problem? There are few reasons why it might happen: – Another person found it before you did.

There are hundreds of people that are constantly trying to change their driving test on each test centre. – If you entered your driver licence instructor number in the DVSA website, it will hide the dates when he/she is not available. – You failed your previous test – you have to choose a date at least 10 working days away.

• Your theory has expired.
• I cannot login to Testi, what’s going on? Testi requires a valid booking for a driving test in order to be able to search for cancellations.
• If you don’t have one, please book one first.
• If you do have one, please use the login details as you would use,
• Once you have an existing booking, you will be able to login to Testi and look for an earlier date.

I have failed my test, what should I do? Same answer as above 😉 My test is on hold, can I use Testi? If your test is on hold, you should be able to use Testi and change your test date. As long as you are able to use the DVSA website to change your existing date, Testi should be able to look for cancellations on your behalf.

How long does theory test last?

How long does the theory test take? – You’ve got 1 hour and 20 minutes (57 minutes for the multiple choice questions) to complete your driving theory test, although some people finish it sooner., you can either have a 3 minute break or carry straight on with the hazard perception test, which takes 20 minutes.

How long is theory test valid?

Two year rule – Theory test certificates are valid for two years from the date you passed. If you do not pass your practical test within this two year period, you will have to take another theory test. There are no exceptions to this rule.

How long have driving tests been around?

A brief history of the British Driving Test and The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) – A voluntary driving test was introduced in England in 1935. The test cost 37½ pence and the pass rate was 63%. The first person to pass was called Mr Been. There weren’t any test centres and examiners would meet candidates at a pre-arranged spot, like a park or railway station.

The compulsory driving test was introduced on 1st June 1935, for all drivers who started driving on or after 1st of April 1934. In 1900 the first British women to pass her driving test was Miss Vera Hedges Butler, and she had to travel to France to take her driving test, since driver testing would not be established in the UK for another 30 years.

Drivers and pedestrians in the UK had to wait for the publication of the first edition of The Highway Code in 1931 before road safety began to improve. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) was set up in 1990 to promote road safety by improving driving standards.

Before this, the driving test was administered by the government department responsible for transport. DSA’s main function is to test drivers, motorcycle riders and driving instructors. Driving Test Chronology: 1935 Voluntary driving test is introduced by the Road Traffic Act, 1934, to avoid a rush of candidates when the test becomes compulsory.1st June 1935 Compulsory driving test brought in for all drivers who started driving on or after 1st April 1934.2nd September 1939 Driving test suspended for the duration of World War Two and resumed on 1st November 1946.18th February 1947 A period of a year granted for wartime provisional licences to be converted into full licence without passing the test.24th November 1956 Testing suspended during the Suez Crisis.

Learners allowed to drive unaccompanied and examiners help to administer petrol rations. May 1975 Candidates no longer have to demonstrate arm signals 1st April 1990 The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is created as an executive agency of the Department for Transport.

April 1991 Reverse Parking manoeuvre becomes a compulsory part of the test. November 1995 The Pass Plus scheme is introduced to help newly qualified young drivers gain valuable driving experience and gain valuable driving experience and reduce the risk of them being involved in an accident.1st July 1996 A separate written theory test introduced, replacing questions asked about the Highway Code during practical test.1st March 1997 Photograph ID is now required for both practical and theory tests 6th April 1999 Cars being used for a driving test must now have a front seat belt, head restraint and rear-view mirror.14th November 2002 A hazard perception element is introduced into the theory test; this uses video clips to test candidates’ awareness of hazards on the road.1st September 2003 Show me/Tell me vehicle safety questions added to the beginning of the driving test.

September 2007 The number of theory test questions increased from 35 to 50 and the new pass mark is 43. The pass mark for the HPT for learners is 44 out of 75. In 2006 the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) conducted 1.5 million car tests. The number of people in the UK currently holding driving licences is 32 million-70% of the adult population.

The driving test has made our roads much safer. In 1934 there were only 2.5 million vehicles on Britain’s roads, and 7,343 people were killed in road accidents. However, by 2004 there were over 30 million vehicles and the Department of Transport report on road casualties (2004) quoted only 3,221 fatalities.

When announcing the introduction of the driving test in 1935, the Transport Minister, Leslie Hore-Belisha said, “Driving is an art in which those who are engaged should, in the interest of their own and of the public’s safety; take the greatest pains to make themselves proficient.” Decades later this still holds true and is summed up in the DSA’s maxim, “Safe driving for life.”