A Change in the UK Driving Test

A week ago, the Telegraph posted that the driving test system in the UK is going to have a major overhaul in order to reduce young drivers' death rates. This overhaul includes a removal of several maneuvers from the driving test. Also, instead of "turn left here, turn right there", the examiners will tell students to drive to a place using the road signs.

This method is trying to break the driving instructors' way of practicing: driving around the same test route over and over. Doing so may seem smart, but it doesn't really change the way a student is tested.

As Chris Fanshawe, a driving instructor, said, the test remains practically the same: students are marked off for small technical errors, like rolling back on hills or touching the curb. Until that is changed, no overhaul will help to reduce death rates.

I fully agree with Chris. Some people, who are excellent drivers, fail their driving test because they hit the curb while they were parking. If someone hit the curb at 100 km/h, there is no reason for him to pass. When someone hits the curb during parallel parking, it doesn't mean he can't drive, it just means he's not very experienced with parallel parking. And driving is not all about parallel parking.

Driving tests around the world should stop revolving around being technical and annoying, and should be scored according to common sense - if the examiner feels comfortable and it doesn't seem like the student is a potential road criminal, the student should pass. Too bad it's not like that.

Think about it.
Nadav

nadavs