A couple of days ago the Daily Mail apparently did an article on the Independent Driving section of the driving test, due to be introduced later this year. I have mentioned on several occasions – most recently in this lighthearted-but-true story– about why this is an excellent idea.
The driving instruction industry is bogged down with antiquated instructors and antiquated ideas. Some of the forums have been almost in flames with some of these fossils opposing the idea because it comes from the DSA, or because – according to them – the minority-group pupils they specialise in will have particular problems doing it.
The Mail seems to have altered its original story (perhaps as a result of what I’m going to mention below), but the Independent still has the misinformation [dead link] in its own version. Lest it should also try to change it, this is what it says:
In the DSA’s tests of the new section, the 100 learners tested made five times more mistakes than in the traditional test. The learners said it was “effortful, mentally demanding and frustrating” and just 18 per cent passed, less than one in five.
It isn’t hard to imagine the Daily Mail’s take on the matter – particularly when you consider that it was a Labour-led initiative. But changing the story as needed is just about what you would expect from the Mail, with its childlike political agenda (the coalition government is looking at scrapping the change, it would appear – probably around the same time it makes foxhunting legal again).
Today, the DSA has issued an alert to correct the Mail’s (and other newspapers’) misinformation and scaremongering. It says:
Independent driving: the facts
Independent driving will become part of the practical driving test in Great Britain in October 2010.
It’s tasking the candidate to drive for about 10 minutes, either following a series of directions, following traffic signs, or a combination of both.
To help the candidate be clear about where they’re going, the examiner can show them a diagram too.
It doesn’t matter if candidates don’t remember every direction, or if they go the wrong way – that can happen to the most experienced drivers.
Newspaper reports
The claim in some newspapers that independent driving would lead to a fall in the driving test pass rate is based on early research where conditions did not reflect the eventual design of the new element of the test.
Subsequent trials with a larger number of participants and more closely reflecting the conditions in the planned new test showed no significant fall in the pass rate.
Video shows independent driving
DSA has published a short video on its YouTube channel explaining more about independent driving.
Watch the video here
It was funny, but even on the forums you were getting threads like this following the Mail’s initial story:
Quote:
“the agency’s own research suggests the changes will cause the pass rate to fall from 42 to 18 per cent – less than one in five.”
If that happens I can’t see many people standing for it for very long. On the bright side it would seem the number of hours per pupil looks like it’ll be on the up…
I think there is going to be a mad rush of pupils wanting to get there test booked before October 5th, thats for sure!!
Those with an inbuilt sense of direction ( usually the men ) will find this easier. I imagine it will lean the test in favour of the boy racer types.
It didn’t occur to any of them to question it, even though it was totally incorrect.
All Independent Driving is is testing people on something they have never been shown how to do in many cases. They will have to do it when they pass their tests – and the fact that many can’t explains why they are such a bloody danger out there on the roads. It’s just that now they will have to have been trained properly in order to pass. If people in small minorities (i.e. with other difficulties) can’t navigate a simple route using road signs (or do the other simple things the test asks of them) then frankly it raises questions about whether they should be on the roads at all.
The same people who are up in arms over this think nothing of making negative comments about non-UK drivers and immigration generally (and I think this is related to their typical age), and yet they will happily boast that one of their special needs pupils managed to pass the test first time after only 10 hours and no previous driving experience. But they will question the road-readiness of anyone without special needs who does it in less than 30 hours.
Their attitudes just don’t add up, I’m afraid. Well, that’s not strictly true… their attitudes stack up perfectly when you latch on to their anti-DSA agenda and the bygone age they were raised in.