This might be a really stupid point, but I’m going to make it anyway. I feel that the test really only represents being able to pass the test. it’s become it’s own self fulfilling prophecy. Driving instructors teach learners how to pass the test, not how to drive. I realise that at some point it was devised to test fitness to drive, but it’s become a dance or routine. Follow these steps – pass.

How many times have you seen someone sitting in snow gunning the engine, going nowhere? Or tailgating in fog, or hogging the overtaking lane….or dare I say it, failing to overtake a much slower vehicle when clear opportunities are present. Or as someone else pointed out, hitting the brakes when merging on a slip.

My mother in law has been driving for 20 years or so, won’t drive on a motorway. She won’t go faster than 50mph. She’s too afraid of the speed differential between her and the fast lane, or fears that someone will crash into her from behind because she’s going too slow.

Also, whilst I am in favour of tighter restrictions on young drivers and new drivers, there should be a motorway aspect to the test. It’s no wonder people think it’s okay to sit in the outside lane at 60, if they’ve never been taught the first thing about how to drive on a motorway.

Not stupid at all. There’s a long-standing adage that when you pass your test is the point where you actually start learning to drive. I’d love to see the advanced test become mandatory. L-plates, basic test, P-plates, advanced test. Ban P-plates from motorways unless accompanied by an instructor.

I’ve always thought as a learner you should have a play on a skid pan. As lets be honest the first time you lose control of the car you’ve only had theoretical ideas of turn out no in, no out bang.

But if, like me, you do plenty of driving on a 3 lane, 70mph dual carriageway with a hard shoulder and motorway style slip road while learning why shouldn’t I be allowed to drive on a motorway?

And most of the other stuff being (rightly) complained about above IS covered in the theory and/or practical aspect of the lessons and test. If people choose to ignore it (like speed limits, no one can pretend to not know that it’s illegal to break the speed limit, but 80%-90% of drivers admit to it when the RAC etc do surveys) then that’s an enforcement problem rather than a one-off education one.

Do you think that the mother in law mentioned above would pass today’s driving test if she took it?

bails
Do you think that the mother in law mentioned above would pass today’s driving test if she took it?

She would pass the practical, absolutely. But just using the computers during the theory test would be too much of a panic factor as she’s not computer literate.

To do it properly it should take a year to cover a series of driving tests to include year round conditions.

Restrictions should be placed after passing each category of test until all have been completed, ie basic, advanced, winter/night, motorway.

Defensive driving and how to respond to emergencies should be included in basic/advanced test.

Single retest every 10 years.

I’ve always thought as a learner you should have a play on a skid pan. As lets be honest the first time you lose control of the car you’ve only had theoretical ideas of turn out no in, no out bang.

This would be one of the best improvements. It already happens in other countries with success.

You could also split the test into 2 like the current Motorbike test.
1) Maneuvers and skills (skid pans, parking, etc…)
2) Road test based upon awareness and interaction

She would pass the practical, absolutely.

But if she won’t go over 50 then she’d probably be failed for going too slowly on national speed limit roads.

bails

But if she won’t go over 50 then she’d probably be failed for going too slowly on national speed limit roads.

Max speed for a learner is 45.

Max speed for a learner is 45.

Really?

It is in Northern Ireland anyway.

I occasionally have had to reverse round a corner, and I guess that it’s the same thing I do every time I park my car at home, because I have to reverse onto the hardstanding in front of the house, as it’s almost impossible to see traffic or pedestrians coming up the road even driving out forwards. It’s a 90 degree reverse onto paving slabs running parallel to the front path, around the gate-post, so the car needs to be properly positioned to get it in the right place.
Having said that, there’s enough room for two cars there, it’s just me being tidy. 😀

I’ve always thought as a learner you should have a play on a skid pan. As lets be honest the first time you lose control of the car you’ve only had theoretical ideas of turn out no in, no out bang.

I did that. Snowy Toys’R’Us car park one winter (-: At the time I was being a young stupid hooligan, but it’s served me in good stead when I have been caught out in adverse conditions subsequently.

It is in Northern Ireland anyway.

Not in the rest of the UK, unless it’s changed since I learned. One of the test routes has a 50 stretch and I had to drive at or near the limit.

as it’s almost impossible to see traffic or pedestrians coming up the road even driving out forwards

It’s also illegal to reverse from a minor road into a major one IIRC, you shouldn’t be reversing out of a drive.

The compulsory motorway idea is great in theory, but for my mate in Wick it wouldn’t work. The nearest motorway is about 6 hours away and I don’t think they do 12 hour driving lessons…

They need to include the making progress element.

They already do, if you drive like a granny you’ll fail. Don’t overtake at a safe opportunity and that’s a minor. Drive at a slow speed, that’s another. Continue doing this and wave your licence goodbye.

She’s too afraid of the speed differential between her and the fast lane

I could of swore you said fast lane there when talking about the overtaking lanes.

As said, dual carriageways are exactly the same as motorways in terms of speed and lane positioning but with the added element of roads joining with little or no slip road, slow road users (cyclists, horses, tractors, passing circus) and often blind dips, hills and bends. So really, an A road is harder to deal with than a motorway.

As for the reversing thing, I do it quite often when I’ve taken a wrong turn and ended up on a tiny street with cars parked all the way down one side. It’s also handy to know when you’re driving a van. And focussing on stickers is a mistake, the point was learning where your rear wheel was and using a reference point to manouver based on its position. Once you now your points you can park anything. In fact it’s just about essential to know these points when towing as reversing a trailer or caravan “blind” just results in a free piece of street theatre for the laughing masses (and a few pissed off folk waiting to pass).

Three point turn was done away with yonks ago, it’s a turn in the road and can be completed in as many or little manouvers as deemed appropriate.

How do you people get around without reversing round corners or doing 3 point turns?

Do you just drive on continuously until you get to a roundabout?

I’ve always thought as a learner you should have a play on a skid pan. As lets be honest the first time you lose control of the car you’ve only had theoretical ideas of turn out no in, no out bang.

Thing is, most car’s under-steer, straightening up stops the under-steer, but is it actually more effective than just holding on and waiting for the car to slow and regain grip?

How do you people get around without reversing round corners or doing 3 point turns?
Do you just drive on continuously until you get to a roundabout?

I live on a single track lane. These people exist:)

I met a bloke last year who attempted to reverse the 20 feet back to a passing place. Each time he attempted the feat he just stove the car into the hedge and then due to the space it took him to straighten up again made more progress forwards than backwards.

I say double the number of magic roundabout on the road as tourist attraction or simply stick a roundabout as you wish in a straight road for no reason. 🙄

“Roundabout, you earn money from tourists! Fact!” (advertising mode) 😆

Thing is, there aren’t motorways everywhere. But there are loads of two or three lane dual carriageway A roads which are basically the same as motorways but learners can use them.

You obviously don’t live anywhere neat me then. About 20-30 minutes to drive to any dual carriageway apart from a few hundred metres of crawler lane on a hill, which isn’t a dual carriageway (as there is no central divider).

I do think a refresher test, or two stage test would be a good idea though

Driving instructors teach learners how to pass the test, not how to drive.

Nah – that’s a load of rubbish. I always taught people how to drive. Purely because I knew that as soon as they passed I would be having to share the road with them.

No problem with removing the reverse-around-corners, yes it’s a test of obs and maneuvering rather than literally a test of reversing-round-a-corner but if it’s replaced with something that more accurately reflects everyday driving, where’s the issue? Reversing into a parking space is basically the same thing but more real-world applicable, just seems like common sense to me. And going by the number of cars in my office carpark parked nose in, it’s something people could do with learning.

I was told- though can’t say if it’s true- that testers very rarely ask for it these days.

3 point turn (yeah yeah I know, turn in road using forward and reverse) is basically a simple thing to do, if you can go forward and reverse you can do a 3 point turn. So maybe removing it from the test just reflects that, rather than saying “You don’t need to be able to do it”? I think it’s more valuable than the reverse-round-corner though.

(fwiw I park nose in on my driveway, because it’s a funny shape and barely any bigger than my car, parking nose in is awkward but reversing in is, well maybe not impossible but sufficiently bloody hard that I’ve never attempted it without an observer, and never done it succesfully with the other car on the drive. If anyone wants a go, let me know. Reversing out safely is really not hard to do in my case. Like anything else with driving you should do what’s most appropriate in your exact circumstances)

It wasn’t Toys’R’Us, but otherwise +1 to all that, including being a hooligan at the time. Given how simple and basic controlling a car in slippy conditions is (and I’m talking here about avoiding skidding rather than doing it deliberately as we did), it is quite shocking how few people seem capable of it, and what chaos happens on the roads as a result.

I could have sworn you wrote “could of” there 😉

How do you people get around without reversing round corners or doing 3 point turns?

I tend to plan ahead when driving so that I don’t have to regularly undo errors.

Max speed for a learner is 45.

Hah, that’s stupid! Explains how people scared to go over 50 could re-pass the test though 😉

I was taught to drive by an ex-cop. (Police Driving Trainer he’d retired at 50 ),he encouraged you not to hold up traffic and press-on. I would reckon it’s easier for a reversing manoeuvre to use an empty road junction rather than a gap between vehicles as if any collision occurs the paperwork would be a problem…?. A section of the test/learning process involving driving at night should be added IMO.

Reversing around a corner is just plain dangerous, along with doing a U-turn on a motorcycle (a part of the modern m/c test).

I don’t see why either is dangerous if done properly and I’ve certainly done both multiple times since passing my car and bike tests.

The foot-up U-turn isn’t really a necessary skill by itself and in fact not even possible on some motorbikes, but it is a decent test of low-speed control and I can’t see why it’s dangerous.

In England at least, the max speed for a learner is the speed limit. I had to do 70 on my test (in the late 1990s) as I was going down a dual carriageway section of the A38. T’husband is currently learning to drive, he’s had to to 50/60 roads on his lessons too.

I could have sworn you wrote “could of” there.

LIES!!! YOU’RE LYING!!!!!!!

😳

I was told- though can’t say if it’s true- that testers very rarely ask for it these days.

they certainly did where i did my test this year. but then that’s partly because there were no bays to park in at the test centre, which reduced the number of manoeuvres they could ask you to do!

fortunately i didn’t have to do one, because when we got to the official Examiner’s Favourite Corner For Reversing Around, there was one person (on test) reversing around it, and another queued up (also on test) waiting to have a go as well. My examiner sacked it off and just made me do a turn in the road instead 😆