Category - DSA

An email alert from the DSA:

Independent driving introduced into tests next Monday 

Independent driving will be introduced into the British driving test next Monday (4 October).

Candidates in all main categories of test will be asked to spend around 10 minutes demonstrating their ability to drive safely without step-by-step directions from an examiner.

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said:

“The independent driving assessment gives test candidates the chance to show they have the necessary skills to cope with the sort of traffic conditions they will face every day.

“Learning those skills from the very start of the driving process will help make new drivers safer.”

At the moment the examiner gives directions throughout the test. But during the independent drive, the candidate will have to follow traffic signs or a short series of verbal directions, or a combination of both. To help candidates understand where they are going when following verbal directions, the examiner will show a diagram. Candidates can also ask for a reminder as they drive.

DSA’s Chief Driving Examiner Trevor Wedge said:

“The aim of independent driving is to assess the candidate’s ability to drive safely whilst making decisions independently. It’s not a test of navigation and candidates won’t be failed for going off route.

”The test is being improved to help produce safer drivers, but that doesn’t mean it’s getting any harder. We know many instructors are already teaching independent driving.”

In addition, practical car test candidates will only have to complete one of the three reversing manoeuvres, instead of two at present. Other categories of test remain unchanged. The price and duration of tests also stay the same.

Useful links:

• Independent driving and riding section of the practical test
• listen to a Directgov podcast about the change to the driving test

I cannot believe how many hits I’m getting for “independent driving test routes” and “independent driving maps”. People are obviously very worried about this.

You do not need to be – whether you are an instructor or someone whose test is coming up.

On your test, the examiner is going to ask you to drive somewhere. He’ll say something like “I want you to drive to Smallsville, following the road signs” or “follow the road signs to Smallsville”.

Independent Driving – Example 2

Alternatively, he may ask you to follow a route he gives you of up to three or four separate turnings at junctions or roundabouts (I say four, but three is likely to be the absolute maximum, and some people will get away with two or even less).

He may show you a simple map like the one on the left to help you visualise the route.

It is absolutely essential that you understand you are NOT being tested on how well you remember the route.

If you ask for confirmation at each turn it doesn’t matter. Asking “was it left here?” or “am I going that way?” is not a fault – as long as you do it correctly.

If you keep stopping to ask to see the map again, or confirm the route, it doesn’t matter – as long as you do it safely and correctly. Can you see the pattern developing here?

If you go the wrong way, it doesn’t matter – as long as you do it correctly.

We’re not talking about from Nottingham to London or anything. It’ll take about 10 minutes for him to explain it and for you to do it.

What you are being tested on is how you drive when you are not artificially told which way to go – which is exactly what you will have to do the second you get in your own car after you pass your test.

You see, when your instructor (or the examiner) says “take the next turn on the left” it is a verbal cue to look in your mirrors, signal, and then carry out the turn. You won’t get this when you’re out alone, and that is why the test is being changed to include a section where you can be assessed on it. Looking at a few road signs or following a simple route is what proper driving is all about.

If a candidate has been taught properly – and this includes anyone with special needs – they will be able to do this simple part of the test without any real trouble at all. If they can’t, then they either haven’t been taught properly or are not safe enough to be allowed out on the roads (not yet, at least).

Don’t listen to any of the nonsense being put out about independent driving. It is a good idea and addresses a very real problem.

I have always made my pupils drive like they will when they get their own cars, so for me it isn’t much of change – and that is probably why I am so upbeat about it. But it shouldn’t be much of a change for other instructors, either.

The simple fact is that if it IS such a problem to some instructors, then they need to pull their fingers out instead of just whittering on about changes they don’t like!

Yes, you could say it makes the test harder, but only for people who would have been borderline passes in the first place. But as I said, if they’ve been taught properly it is just a complete non-issue.

Oh. One more thing. As I have already mentioned in this story, they are not going to be publishing driving test routes any more – and that includes the independent driving routes. It shouldn’t be a problem for anyone who teaches properly – or for anyone who can drive properly. And in any case, it would be simplicity itself to find out from your own pupils what they had to do on their tests and work things out from there.

An email alert from the DSA:

Buying a used car – know your consumer rights

The number of consumer complaints about used cars from dealers has increased, so make sure you know your rights before you buy.

New figures from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) have revealed that complaints about second hand cars bought from independent dealers continue to top the list of calls to advice service Consumer Direct, and the numbers of complaints are increasing.

The research suggests that the average cost to car owners is £425 to resolve faults that were the dealer’s obligation to correct.

Watch the video here

The video is about 2 minutes long. The DVLA also has advice in this link.

This is an old post. A very old one. DSA is now DVSA. However, the points made are still valid.

While I was searching for news articles concerned with the impending change to the driving test, I came upon this one on the BBC website from May 1999. It relates to a previous change to the driving test, and makes hilarious reading.

Referring to the DSA’s Test Timeline , the changes made in 1999 were:

…extending the length of the test, randomising the emergency stop manoeuvre and failing candidates for committing 16 or more driving faults.

Today, we take this for granted and no one gives it a second thought. But look at the rubbish being spouted back then.

Keith Cameron, the head of road safety policy at the British School of Motoring (BSM), said: “Minor faults are minor faults, let’s face it.”

…Mr Cameron, a former chief examiner with the Driving Standards Agency, told BBC News Online: “Their argument is that if someone commits 15 faults they are not very good at driving so they should not be on the road.

“But nerves can affect someone’s performance on the day and if it’s only affecting in terms of minor faults then it should not matter.”

Mr Cameron said the Driving Standards Agency had conceded there would be a drop in the pass rate, but he said he thought they had underestimated how many people would fail under the new rules.

“It really is not difficult to ratchet up 15 minor errors,” he said.

This is hilarious! If someone gets anywhere near 15 faults they are a crap driver – on the day of the test, at least. Examiners can tell if someone is a poor driver or not, just as I can when I’m taking someone out for the first time who can allegedly drive.

Furthermore, he claims that the pass rate was going to fall. Let’s take a look at the reality – the DSA’s own pass rates for every year since 1935 (up until 2004 in this table) . Notice how the pass rate gradually fell from 63% in 1935 – with no big steps, and almost completely in a downwards direction year-on-year – to 45% in 1977, and then rose gradually back up to around 52% in the early 90s. It then gradually fell again to 47% in 1997.

There was a hiccup to 48% in 1998, and it dropped to 46% in 1999. It has been at 43-44% since then.

So, the worst you can say happened is that the new test introduced in 1999 caused the pass rate to fall by 5% (and that’s by taking the most extreme values). In reality, it was more like 2-3% – and even that doesn’t allow for any background fall that might have occurred anyway.

It’s not a lot when you consider that according to BSM’s Keith Cameron, the end of the world was nigh, is it?

So, just bear that in mind when you hear some of the rubbish being spread around about Independent Driving.

This is an old story. DVSA (then known as DSA) used to publish complete test routes for all parts of the UK. However, they ceased publication of the routes from 4 October 2010.

They were simply text directions, and to be honest I gave up after only a couple of attempts to follow them just after I qualified as an ADI, when I realised it was pointless. Any ADI who has a bit of experience can easily identify where examiners take their pupils and teach tricky elements on lessons accordingly. But there is absolutely no point trying to teach precise routes, since examiners can vary them to suit road conditions on the actual test.

As mentioned in the press release in the previous post, driving test routes are to be withdrawn. This BBC story repeats the press release, but I mention it because it is likely to link to further related stories as we approach October 4th. Already – since the press release – hits to the blog have risen dramatically for this topic.

An email alert from the DSA:

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning has announced today that the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) will no longer publish details of test routes after 4 October.

This change will help make the test more representative of real driving. It also supports the introduction of independent driving, which will allow candidates to demonstrate their ability to drive safely in more realistic situations.

You can read more in the press release.

Since the press release is quite short, I’ve reproduced it here:

DSA press release

Real driving experience for learners

To help make the driving test more representative of real driving, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) will no longer publish details of test routes, Road Safety Minister Mike Penning announced today.

Currently test routes used by each driving test centre are published online but this will stop when new routes are introduced at the beginning of October.

This change is being made to support the introduction of independent driving, which will allow candidates to demonstrate their ability to drive safely in more realistic driving situations rather than memorising a particular test route.

Mike Penning said:

“We want new drivers to be able to drive safely and independently and learning to drive test routes by rote isn’t the way to achieve this.

“Stopping the publication of test routes will help to make sure that the driving test better reflects realistic driving conditions and will give new drivers the skills and confidence they need to stay safe on the roads.”

DSA’s Chief Driving Examiner Trevor Wedge said:

“Evidence shows that the biggest challenge newly qualified drivers face after passing their test is learning how to cope when they no longer have their instructor there to help and prompt them.”

“We want to make sure that new drivers and riders are ready to make their own decisions when driving alone; learning how to do that in preparation for their test should lead to better and safer drivers.”

To better assess whether a learner driver is ready to drive unsupervised, independent driving will be introduced into the test on 4 October 2010. Candidates will drive for about 10 minutes, without step-by-step direction from their examiner. This will involve either following a series of directions, following traffic signs, or a combination of both. To help candidates visualise the directions, the examiner may also show them a simple diagram. The remainder of the test is unchanged.

In January 2010, DSA published independent research showing that with careful route design, candidates were able to complete the independent driving tasks without any significant impact on pass rates. Additional research found widespread support for inclusion of independent driving in the practical test.

I’ve been trying it out on my pupils (actually, I always expected them to drive properly so it isn’t much of a change), and they are all doing fine – even ones who have not been driving long and who aren’t test-ready yet.

As for driving test routes – the only time I ever downloaded one was just after I qualified as an instructor. I never deliberately took a pupil on the published routes, but what I did do was pick up from pupils after their tests where they went (bit by bit – most people can’t recall much of their test, and especially not road names). My view is that if a pupil can drive anywhere I take them, they can drive anywhere, full stop. It hasn’t let me down yet.

An email alert from the DSA:

Private wheel clamping to be banned

Wheel clamping on private land is to be banned in England and Wales. The ban, which will be introduced in the new Freedom Bill in November, will impose tough penalties on anyone who clamps a vehicle or tows it away on private land.

Wheel clamping on private land

Once the ban comes into force it will be illegal to clamp, tow away or in any way immobilise a vehicle on private land.

Anyone who clamps, immobilises or tows away a vehicle on private land without the specific legal authority to do so will face criminal charges or civil penalties.

However, the ban will only apply to private land.

It will not affect local authorities’ and the police’s right to clamp vehicles.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will continue to clamp or tow away vehicles if the vehicle tax has not been paid.

The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) will also continue to clamp or tow away un-roadworthy vehicles to stop them being used on the road.

At the moment, if someone wants to work clamping vehicles, they must hold a frontline licence from the Security Industry Authority (SIA). This will stop once the ban comes into force.

There are currently 2,150 people who are licensed by the SIA to clamp vehicles.

Read more on DirectgGov

So, it looks like City Estates didn’t get away with it for long!

On the flip side, there is a real danger this change will lead to certain elements of our society – specifically, the dregs – parking wherever the hell they want. But having said that, it was other dregs who made cowboy clamping such a problem in the first places. It was inevitable that the law was likely to be changed at some point. City Estates is a prime exponent of the behaviour that forced this change, and it serves them right!

This article is from 2010. Note that there is another recall notice for 2014, which you can see here.

An email alert from the DSA – it outlines what is required if you have a Corsa D model and want to take your test in it:

Vauxhall Corsa vehicle recall

Following a vehicle recall notice issued by Vauxhall, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has announced conditions for allowing Vauxhall Corsa D models on the driving test.

This applies to all Vauxhall Corsa D vehicles with registration plates with a ‘59’ or ‘10’ year identifier.

For these vehicles, there is a possibility that the handbrake cable end fitting could move within the supporting bracket welded to the under body of the vehicle. If this fault occurs, it might lead to a sudden loss of handbrake function at any time.

If you want to use one of these vehicles for your driving test, it will only go ahead if:

• the vehicle is fitted with dual controls  – this is to help the examiner control the car in the unlikely event of a failure

or

• if you supply documents to show that remedial work has been carried out – this will usually be in the form of the Vauxhall recall letter stamped by the dealer and containing written confirmation that the remedial work has been carried out

If none of these criteria are met, you’ll need to contact customer services to arrange for your test to be rebooked once the remedial work has been completed.

As there’s been no prior warning of this action, customers will have their test fee refunded or will be given a free retest only on the first occasion that they bring an affected vehicle for their test.

People should pay particular attention to that last sentence (though I suspect many won’t pay any attention to most of the rest of it). You only get away with it once per car.

School cars should be OK, as they will almost certainly have dual controls fitted.