Barra is the place to be to pass your driving test

LEARNER drivers on Barra are twice as likely to pass their test than those in part of the mainland, according to new statistics.

Barra had a 100 per cent pass rate in 2014/15, the highest in the whole of Scotland.

The data, released by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) highlights the gap in pass rates between rural and urban areas.

Barra, part of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, has no traffic lights, roundabouts or pedestrian crossings, earning the island a reputation as being one of the easiest places in Britain to sit a driving test.

In Scotland as a whole, the driving test centres have an average pass rate of 77 per cent and a first-time pass rate slightly above the UK average, at 54 per cent, with some areas well below the average.

The test centres which rank highest are overwhelmingly remote and rural, with Mallaig, Benbecula, Arran and Orkney among the top 10.

However, driving in rural areas remains hazardous, with accidents on country roads accounting for more than half of all fatal road crashes in Scotland in 2014.

A spokesman for the breakdown cover and insurance broker the Automobile Association (AA) said the discrepancy was not necessarily unfair, as candidates were trained for the driving conditions where they live.

Lesley Young, chief driving examiner for the DVSA, said: ‘The driver testing and training regime tests candidates’ ability to drive safely and responsibly, as well as making sure they know the theory behind safe driving.’