Driving tests to end at the point of failure

DRIVING tests will be stopped as soon as candidates fail, under new guidelines unveiled to reduce close contact with examiners during the pandemic.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said people will now be directed to drive straight back to the test centre as soon as they get a serious or dangerous fault.

The guidelines come as the Government announced that driving tests will restart in England from today after an almost four month hiatus due to the Covid-19 restrictions.

Lockdown has caused a backlog of driving tests running into hundreds of thousands and the DVSA is now urging delayed candidates to ensure they have “had enough practice” before their test.

A series of safety measures have been put in place to protect learners and examiners from infection, such as mandatory face masks for all candidates, unless they have a medical exemption. The DVSA is also trying to minimise the contact time spent with instructors, with candidates being told not to turn up for tests more than five minutes early.

The new policy, to end tests upon a serious fault, represents a change from the previous system whereby drivers would not be told they had failed until the end of their test.

Tests will resume in Wales on Aug 17, while no date has yet been set in Scotland or Northern Ireland.