Big driving test shake-up proposed.

[wingman]

The biggest driving test shake-up in 20 years is being proposed by the Drivivng & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

The DVSA proposals include dropping the three-point turn and reversing around a corner. Drivers instead will be asked to perform more relevant manoeuvres, such as joining traffic from the side of the road and reversing out of a parking bay - emulating reversing out of a busy supermarket.

Examiners may also include asking questions whilst the learner drives along the test route.

Also under consideration is a SatNav Test where learners are asked to follow a satnav, rather than the current use of navigating to a destination using road signs. Mmmmmmm

 

[simsy56]

They ought to be trained on motorways too! Before they are allowed on them. And if they sit in the middle lane, they should be made to stop, somewhere suitable.............and SHOT!

Craig

 

[Puddleduck]

I wouldn't drop the odd-point turns or other reversing maneuvers but the rest seems reasonable.

My daughter told her examiner to shut up as she was concentrating! She passed.

 

[DBK]

Living where I do I would like to see a "reverse back into that passing place you just passed to let me through" test. Three point turns? We wish the roads were wide enough!

 

[geoffles]

Id like to see a review every 10 years on peoples driving standards possibly linked to insurance rates, similar to IAM skills for life programme

Some of the worse drivers i have seen seem to be aged from 30+ upwards. The one i hate is on a dual or single carriageway displaying national speedlimit and someone dawdling at 40 with no road awareness of traffic conditions other than that at the end of their bonnet.

Sorry to say it but the newly passed drivers seem to be a damn site safer than the mature drivers.

Rant over

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[sedge]

Well you never had to do it in three turns anyway, did you? It was to turn round to face the other way, within the confines of the highway. If you had actually needed to do a 5 or 7 and upwards point turn because of the narrowness, then providing you kept proper control of the vehicle throughout the whole manoeuvre, you'd have passed.

I always said I thought reversing INTO a supermarket parking space would be a far better skill to learn - I've never had to reverse round a corner in my driving life, whereas I have had to do about a 57 point turn when others had blocked me in on Jackson's of Old Arley carpark one summer Sunday when I just went in to get a new propane cylinder!

 

[Larrynwin]

They ought to be trained on motorways too! Before they are allowed on them. And if they sit in the middle lane, they should be made to stop, somewhere suitable.............and SHOT!

Craig

Not easy on the Island Craig

 

[Jaws]

I will not hold my breath fir any changes in the near future

How many times have we heard about 'proposed changes in the MOT ?
Yes, there are a couple of changes that have happened but nothing exactly earth shattering
And truth be told ? These proposals are FAR to sensible to get off the ground !!

 

[TheCaller]

I always said I thought reversing INTO a supermarket parking space would be a far better skill to learn

Seconded. Into almost any parking space, for that matter - especially the driveway at home.

I've never had to reverse round a corner in my driving life

I've done that a time or two - usually because it's easier that the alternative 'turn the vehicle round in the road, using forward & reverse gears', aka the three point turn. You really can do that in three. In a large vehicle, like a m/h, do it on the 'wrong' side of the road. Better visibility & no danger of backing into anybody. But go a decent distance back down the road you back into before pulling forward onto your own side again.

 

[sedge]

Oh, but the second one must mean that you went the wrong way in the first place - and you must realise surely - that I have never done that?

Am incredulous that you could even imagine I might ever do it?

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[sedge]

ROFL

 

[Tootles]

They should be teaching important stuff these days......Three point turn is ANCIENT.
For instance.....

How to use a mobile so that a very rare species of 'passing policeman' cant clock you.
How to administer lippy and eye liner using the mirror over the windscreen provided for just that purpose.
How to just wear your seat belt over your shoulder, un-clipped, so it looks as though it's on.
How to use a sat-nav so that when your pi**ed, you don't inadvertently drive into Scotland.
How to use the blue badge you 'borrowed' from recently deceased aunt Flo.

 

[Bobby22]

The problem with any driving standards is a learner is TRAINED to pass the test NOT learned to drive.

At the end of the day you've got to drive for 45mins safely, and let the examiner know you are confident in yourself.

 

[TheCaller]

Am incredulous that you could even imagine I might ever do it?

Of course not, but you might have been directed the wrong way by someone else. Or you might have been in the right place, but now needed to go back the way you came.

Actually, thinking about it, backing into a supermarket parking place, or similar, is much the same thing as backing round a corner.

Does the 'reverse parallel park' feature in these suggestions, I wonder. Or is it already included?

 

[K9Brian]

It should be a fail for not using the handbrake and sitting with your foot on the brake especially with high level brake lights

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[Bobby22]

Does the 'reverse parallel park' feature in these suggestions, I wonder. Or is it already included?

This is already part of todays test.

 

[Bobby22]

It should be a fail for not using the handbrake and sitting with your foot on the brake especially with high level brake lights

Soon handbrakes will be obsolete with these new automatic brakes.

 

[K9Brian]

Soon handbrakes will be obsolete with these new automatic brakes.

Something else to go wrong

 

[joncris]

1st me being pedantic and all that there is no such thing that a professional instructor or examiner would describe as a 'three point turn' Its proper title is 'a turn in the road by means of forward and reverse gears' AND you can take as many moves as required to complete the turn

 

[joncris]

The problem with any driving standards is a learner is TRAINED to pass the test NOT learned to drive.

At the end of the day you've got to drive for 45mins safely, and let the examiner know you are confident in yourself.

I disagree. If newly qualified drivers were to continue to practice what they were taught the would make excellent drivers. The problem is that once passed that independence encourages them to cultivate many bad habit, the worst of which is speeding, showing off to their friends and so on. They have not yet realised their or their vehicles limitations hence they crash and are often killed as a result

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[joncris]

'Reversing into a supermarket parking space' How the hell are going to fill the boot with your shopping if you go in backwards OR will the answer to that be part of the new theory test

 

[tonyidle]

Seconded. Into almost any parking space, for that matter - especially the driveway at home.


I've done that a time or two - usually because it's easier that the alternative 'turn the vehicle round in the road, using forward & reverse gears', aka the three point turn. You really can do that in three. In a large vehicle, like a m/h, do it on the 'wrong' side of the road. Better visibility & no danger of backing into anybody. But go a decent distance back down the road you back into before pulling forward onto your own side again.

Agree about the driveway - and in fact most other circumstances - but not about supermarket car parks. It is difficult to get a trolley to the rear of a reverse-parked car and there's a risk of damaging an adjacent car (or your own) with the trolley. And that assumes there's still room behind your car to park the trolley and lift the hatch (or boot-lid).

Edit: beaten to it by joncris!

 

[OllieUK]

Perhaps if you drove into the supermarket parking space normally, done your shopping, loaded your purchases into the boot of your car saftley, would it not be common sense that you would then have to reverse out of that space without hitting vehicles on either side of you? avoid any traffic entering the car park looking for a space, avoid pedestrians with trollies, kids, the dog. weaving out between cars. I think I would prefer to reverse into a space it seems far more safer to me to have a clear sight of everything going on as I leave. But there again, I am a man and spend as little time as I can in shops so have no problem throwing a bag or to onto the back seat.
LOL

 

[Peter & Elaine]

The problem with any driving standards is a learner is TRAINED to pass the test NOT learned to drive.

At the end of the day you've got to drive for 45mins safely, and let the examiner know you are confident in yourself.

That true for any test I see it it often where lads have been " trained "
Then sent into us for testing on cranes fork trucks and so on
But you ask them to do something differnt to test criteria and they look at me stupid or ask them a question about the machine that's not in the question bank
Even ask well what does that mean ? They come to us knowing the answers but not what it means
It's a joke

 

[simbadog]

I think they should include handbrake turns, reverse flicks, j turns & doughnuts

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[gus-lopez]

When they increased the amount of questions in the theory test I think that they started clutching at straws with some of them.
Helped a lodger at my b-i-laws recently & some of the nonsense questions were ridiculous. One that springs to mind was asking about " depth of chest compressions" for someone not breathing in an accident. ?? Why , you are learning to drive not be a para medic & where is the box to tick for " I don't stop " ?

 

[Cat53]

Perhaps if you drove into the supermarket parking space normally, done your shopping, loaded your purchases into the boot of your car saftley, would it not be common sense that you would then have to reverse out of that space without hitting vehicles on either side of you? avoid any traffic entering the car park looking for a space, avoid pedestrians with trollies, kids, the dog. weaving out between cars. I think I would prefer to reverse into a space it seems far more safer to me to have a clear sight of everything going on as I leave. But there again, I am a man and spend as little time as I can in shops so have no problem throwing a bag or to onto the back seat.
LOL

You can't reverse into a parking space and load a trolley full of food into your boot....and at Christmas time it's possibly 2 Trolley loads....now if supermarkets made the spaces wider with hatched lines down the sides and back, then maybe....but you would still get some idiot parking on the hatched bits and screwing up your well laid plans!

 

[TheCaller]

'Reversing into a supermarket parking space' How the hell are going to fill the boot with your shopping if you go in backwards OR will the answer to that be part of the new theory test

Good point. Depends how the car park is laid out, I suppose. I've been driving vehicles with side doors for so long now I haven't had to think about getting to the boot in a supermarket car park for a long time. Partly because of where we live, a big supermarket shop in a rarity for us anyway - I can't remember the last time I had to take a trolley to the van.

 

[Bailey58]

I always reverse into a marked parking space whether at supermarkets, hospitals or multi storeys. As Ben Chi says it's far easier to drive out forwards than reverse, on entering you have the time to assess the situation and park in your own time, on leaving you don't know how busy it may be or how badly parked the neighbouring car may be. Shopping, I move forward a bit if I can't approach from the rear or have been known to move across into the opposite bay but normally I don't put myself in the situation where I can't load. I generally park the car as I would the motorhome, accessible.

 

[Jaws]

Perhaps something worth considering would be a year with the green L plate on ? At least it would give folk around the new driver reason to be wary ?

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