From the 4th December 2017, the driving test will change to test pupils on much more realistic scenarios. One of these new additions to the test syllabus is following a sat nav as opposed to just following road signs. Despite this change, 1 in 5 test candidates will still be asked to follow the notice boards instead of the sat nav.
The DVSA is working to make sure that the aspects pupils are tested on during a practical driving test accurately reflect real-world situations. As more than half of car drivers now have a sat nav, teaching them to safely use this whilst behind the wheel can greatly help prevent the risk of anything going wrong further on down the line.
During your test, the examiner will set up the route on the sat nav for you, so you won’t need to worry about whether or not you are familiar with a specific system.
You won’t be able to use your own sat nav for this section of the test; you will have to use the one that is supplied by the examiner. This new part of the test will usually take place during the independent driving time, and if you are unsure, you will still be able to ask the examiner for clarification.
It still won’t matter either if you do take the wrong junction off of a roundabout, for example, as long as you are driving safely and don’t make any faults.
As time goes on, more and more new cars are coming fitted with sat navs as standard and buying a stand-alone device is nowhere near as expensive as it used to be. Therefore, it is incredibly important that new drivers are able to use these tools in a safe manner.
This new section of the test aims to teach new drivers how to be confident in using these helpful tools without being distracted in a way that leads to them being unsafe on the road or making mistakes.
Cover image source: thecarexpert.co.uk
