This is an old post – so old information
This BBC article outlines proposed changes to the driving test. It is suggested that the turn in the road and corner reverse exercises could be dropped in favour of using a satnav to get to a destination and reversing out of a parking bay. The proposals are supposed to reflect “real life” driving.
In my opinion, removing these manoeuvres would be a big, big mistake. It was bad enough when they dropped having to do two manoeuvres so they could fit independent driving in, but cutting these other two completely would be stupid. For a start, both of them DO reflect real life driving and not knowing how to do them will just encourage bad alternative methods of dealing with having gone the wrong way. It’s already bad enough with boy racers flinging their cars into U-turns without checking behind in places where they can’t get round without smacking the kerb. This would just force them into that corner even further.
What makes me laugh is that the DIA “welcomed” the plans. Well, I suppose it would do, since it was apparently involved in the discussions in the first place, and some of this crap is no doubt its idea. It’s a bit like asking David Cameron to give an objective comparison of his own party against the others.
On that subject, there is a General Election coming up (remember taking learners on motorways?), and these sorts of ideas traditionally appear round about this far ahead of the polls, only to disappear without trace once the new government is installed. And if we’re not careful we could end up with one which is so far to the right it would need Stephen Hawking to explain curved space using Imperial measurements in the rosy glow of all the bonfires made out of burning immigrants up and down the country. There won’t be any time for altering the driving test amidst all that.
I agree with the RAC, in that knowing how to use the satnav is important in its own right. But being able to turn around if you go the wrong way is still a vital skill. DVSA should be looking at making the test longer so they can test for more skills. They need to stop just trying to cram things into 40 minutes.
Note that parallel park and bay park would still be included under the proposals. Note also that these changes are not going to happen anytime soon.