If you’re taking your driving test after Monday 4th December 2017, you’ll need to know about several important changes being implemented by the government. These changes, outlined below, have been included so as to better represent what modern driving requires of road-users.
More independent driving
The independent driving element of the test will now last for 20 minutes. Prior to the change this December, candidates for the driving test were expected to carry out just 10 minutes of independent driving.
Instructions from a sat nav
Currently, the independent driving portion of the test involves either following roadsigns, or a very short series of instructions from the examiner. This is set to change in December though, four in five tests will now involve candidates taking directions from a sat nav, which will be provided and set up by the examiner.
Due to this change, it will be advantageous for learner drivers to practise before their test using a sat nav, so they are comfortable with using it for instruction in the test.
Candidates are also permitted to check instructions with their examiner when unsure, and wrong turns are acceptable – as long as there are no faults made in the process.
Questions while driving
There have always been two vehicle safety questions included in the test, but previously these were both answered at the beginning of the test.
This process has now been changed in that one question will be asked at the beginning of the test and the second will be asked while the candidate is driving.
The first of these will be a ‘tell me’ question, where the candidate must explain verbally how they would carry out a task.
The second of these will be a ‘show me’ question, in which the candidate has to demonstrate the task. The format for these questions has not changed.
A change to reverse manoeuvres
Although your instructor will still teach you how to do the ‘turn in the road’ and ‘reverse around the corner’ manoeuvres, as they remain important, these will no longer be included in the test.
Instead, the reversing manoeuvre requested in the test will be either a roadside parallel park, a bay park (either driving in and reversing out, or reversing in and driving out) or reversing two car lengths after parking at the right-hand side of the road, and then rejoining the flow of traffic.
Unsure what to expect when it comes to taking your driving test? Get in touch with us today and we’ll help you prepare.
Video Source: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)
Image Source: Car Magazine
