The New Driving Test

As from 4th December 2017 there will be a whole big change in the UK driving test practical. For the first time the use of a sat nav device will be included in the test while the three point turn (or turn in the road exercise) which has formed a staple part of driving lessons for time immemorial will be scrapped. Driving instructors such as Pete Bryce of No Ls Driving School Bristol will be teaching learners to pull up on the right hand side of the road and pull away again as well as to drive forward into a supermarket parking bay and reverse out as well as to do the current bay parking exercise. The reverse around the corner exercise is also set to be dropped from the driving test.

Why a new test?

The aim of the new test is to make the driving test more relevant to real life driving. The majority of UK drivers have a satnav device and the DVSA wants to ensure that drivers are able to use them safely, being aware of the dangers that over reliance on a satnav device can bring.

|The new move is not without its critics within the driver training industry. The highway code suggests that drivers should not park on the right facing oncoming traffic. Critics feel that the new test is effectively endorsing something that the highway code says should not be done. There is also some doubt amongst instructors as to how easy it will be for instructors and examiners to get use of supermarket car parks.
Overall the public reception to the new driving test and its new manoeuvres has been cautiosly positive. The DVSA are however recommending that drivers should be still taught the turn in the road and reverse around a corner exercises as part of their regular driving lessons course. These are important skills even though test candidates will not be tested on them. As such it is expected that driving schools will continue to teach these manoeuvres.