Hamilton’s an L of a place to learn to drive
New DVLA stats show town has low rate of test passes
Motorists who sit their practical driving test in Hamilton have some of the lowest pass rates in the country.
Figures published by the DVLA last week show that perhaps it is best to steer clear of the town.
That is because only 46.5 per cent of learner drivers passed their practical test.
It means the Hamilton centre placed 64th out of the 75 centres in Scotland.
A total of 5860 people sat their test in Hamilton between April 2017 and March this year, with 2723 passing.
And male drivers had a better pass rate then females during the 12 months.
A total of 2726 male drivers took the test and 1352 (49.6 per cent) passed.
And a total of 3134 females sat their test, with 1371 (43.7 per cent) passing.
Elsewhere in Lanarkshire, the pass rate in East Kilbride was 44.2 per cent – making it the sixthworst in Scotland.
Airdrie had a pass rate of 47.7 per cent (placing it 62nd out of the 75 centres) and Lanark’s pass rate was 52.3 per cent (51st out of the 75 centres).
East Kilbride had a total of 1078 people sit their test, with 476 passing. Men fared better there too, with 374 sitting the test and 173 passing (46.3 per cent). A total of 704 women took the test, with 303 (43 per cent) passing.
In Airdrie, a total of 4181 people sat their test, with 1994 passing. The pass rate was higher for men, with 1891 sitting the test and 957 succeeding (50.6 per cent). A total of 2290 women sat their test in Airdrie, with 1037 passing (45.3 per cent).
And in Lanark, a total of 1885 people sat their test, with 986 passing. Men also fared better than women in Lanark, with 808 sitting the test and 442 passing (54.7 per cent). A total of 1077 women sat the test, with 544 passing (50.5 per cent).
The five places with the highest pass rates are all in remote parts of Scotland — which are presumably aided by a lack traffic.
Golspie, in the Highlands, came of first with 76.7 per cent, followed by Pitlochry (73.6 per cent); Duns (72.7 per cent); Inveraray (72.2 per cent); and Islay (71.4 per cent). Admittedly, only 73 people did their test in Golspie, with 56 managing to pass.
The worst pass rate in Shieldhall in Glasgow, where only 37.6 per cent of drivers passed (2541 out of 6751).
Across Great Britain there were 1,718,519 tests taken, of which 795892 resulted in a pass (46.3 per cent).
Men (50 per cent) were more likely to pass than women (43 per cent), the figures show – although more women took the test (915,051 compared to 803,464).