L-drivers to be tested on how to use satnav in major shake-up
LEARNER drivers will have to master using satnavs in an updated test, it is revealed today.
Other changes in a major overhaul include replacing manoeuvres such as reversing around a corner with more common scenarios like driving into a parking bay.
The RAC said the new test, announced by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, is the most significant shake-up since the written theory exam was introduced in 1996.
Transport minister Andrew Jones claimed the measures will help save lives. He said: “We have some of the safest roads in the world but we are always looking to make them safer.
“These changes announced today will help reduce the number of people killed or injured on our roads and equip new drivers with the skills they need to use roads safely. Ensuring that the driving test is relevant in the 21st century will go a long way towards doing this.”
The new driving test will be introduced on December 4.
Road accidents are the biggest killer of young people, accounting for more than a quarter of all deaths of those aged 15 to 19. DVSA chief executive Gareth Llewellyn said: “Our priority is to help you through a lifetime of safe driving. Making sure the test better assesses the ability to drive safely and independently is part of our strategy to help you stay safe.
“It’s vital that the driving test keeps up to date with new vehicle technology and the areas where new drivers face the greatest risk once they’ve passed their test.”
About half of all car drivers own a satnav and 70 per cent of respondents to a public consultation supported the DVSA’s desire for drivers to be trained to use them safely.
Reducing the focus on slow speed manoeuvres in quiet roads will allow examiners to better assess the ability of learners to drive safely in busier areas, where new drivers have the most crashes, the DVSA said.
Motoring groups welcomed the changes, which have been trialled for two years. RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said they will mean candidates will “undergo a far more realistic assessment”.
He went on: “Much has changed since the first driving test was taken in 1935.
“It must be right that the test evolves, just as the cars we drive are themselves changing, to incorporate ever more driver-assist technologies such as in-built satnav systems.
“Novice drivers need to demonstrate the right skills and driving style to cope.”
AA president Edmund King believes the new test can help produce “better, safer motorists”.
He continued: “We know that new drivers are a higher risk on the roads. Therefore we need to better prepare them for real-world driving.
“These changes will test drivers in a more realistic manner which is essential to improving their safety once their L plates are removed.”