UK may make driving tests easier

Proposals to revamp the procedure for driving tests in the UK could make them easier. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is considering an overhaul of the test which could do away with the likes of three-point turns and allow the use of SatNavs.

The Department of Transport (DoT) is in the process of finalising a study which could see the biggest change to the driving test requirements since the written theory section was introduced 19 years ago. The DVSA is testing a procedure that requires drivers to listen to and obey SatNav instructions for 20 minutes.

As well as scrapping the three-point turn, the paper recommends doing away with the need to reverse round corners and introducing the simpler task of backing out of a parking space at a shopping centre. The Transport Department reports that less than half of learner drivers pass their driving tests.

The report says that the driving test needs to satisfy customers and changing it to increase the success rate is not the only measure under the microscope. Other measures that may change are the option of being able to take the test in the evening or on Saturdays and Sundays.

Another possibility is the privatisation of some parts of the national test centre network. The report claims that partner agencies may give better service in addition to more convenience on testing locations. One final proposal under the revamp is upping the age limit from 70 to 75 years old for drivers to declare they are still fit to be behind the wheel.

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