Top test facts

The driving test has been going for 83 years. Here are the top ten driving test facts:

1. Mr Beere was the first person to pass the driving test in 1935: he paid the grand total of 7/6d (37.5p) to take the test.

2. There were no test centres in 1935, so candidates had to arrange to meet the examiner somewhere, such as a post office, train station or town hall.

3. The test was suspended during the Second World War and didn’t resume until November 1, 1946.

4. In 1975, candidates no longer had to demonstrate hand signals.

5. The theory test was introduced in

1996, replacing questions about The Highway Code during the practical test.

6. Driving was much more hazardous 80 years ago - 7,343 people were killed on Great Britain’s roads when only 2.4 million vehicles were in use - in 2008, 2,538 people were killed with more than ten times the number of vehicles on the road.

7. The theory test could be booked online for the first time in December 2001.

8. The pass rate in 1935 was 63 per cent compared to 46 per cent in 2009.

9. 1969 saw the first driving test set for an automatic vehicle.

10. Since 1935 more than 46 million tests have been taken.

source www.gov.uk