Two weeks ago I was a delegate at a DSA conference held at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. Among the varied items in the agenda was a presentation given by Trevor Wedge, the chief driving examiner, outlining the modernisation of the driving test, and possible changes to achieve this. I’ve summarised some of the proposals below and what I have written is my understanding based on a twenty minute Powerpoint presentation.
1) Changes to the way the test is marked:
The marking system may be entirely overhauled and changing from a negative scheme, whereby only your faults are recorded, to a competency based scheme. This would involve core competencies being effectively ticked off as you deal with certain situations such as meeting traffic, and marking you according to how you deal with these situations.
>How this would be implemented wasn’t discussed in great detail, but it seems like a positive step to me, and would bring the driving test up to modern testing standards.
2) Introduction of an independent driving element:
This is not to say that you’d be in the car on your own (flying solo!) but that you may be given an instruction such as “Follow the signs to Kings Heath until I ask you to pull over and stop”
>This would more closely mirror the type of driving you’ll be doing when you have passed your test and is therefore a much better way to judge your skill as a driver rather than being told exactly where to go. It means you’ll have to look at the signs to interpret where you’re going, and have to decide for yourself when you’ll need to change lanes to turn right for example. This might sound like extra pressure, but the driving test is there to test you, and make sure that you are a safe driver from the moment you’ve passed.
3) Changes to the manoeuvres:
This could involve making the reversing exercises more relevant to everyday driving, but still testing the same competencies that are currently assessed in the test. For example, you might be asked to turn the car around to face the opposite direction using a method of your choice. You may decide to perform a turn in the road, or maybe choose to reverse into a side road, depending on the traffic situation, width of the road etc.
>This would test your decision making ability, and make you more aware of why you are practicing these exercises in the first place.
It’s worth bearing in mind that all of the changes discussed (and other possible changes that I have not covered) are just proposals at present. As such they are unlikely to be implemented imminently without further research and consultation. But I can imagine that they will be introduced in one way or another over time. In an effort to recognise the need for these changes, I will slowly be introducing some of the elements mentioned above into your driving lessons. I am confident that this will make you safer drivers, and prepare you more fully for the driving test as it currently stands, let alone when the changes are finally introduced.
