Driving tests return TODAY… but fail and it could be months before you get another chance after pandemic caused 17-week backlog
- Driving tests in England and Wales will restart today for first time since January
- More than 450,000 non-emergency tests cancelled due to third lockdown
- DVSA said it is offering extra 2,500 car tests per month by utilising weekends
- Those who fail their test face an average waiting time of 17 weeks to rebook
Driving tests in England and Wales will restart today but learner drivers are under extra pressure to pass after the pandemic caused a 17-week backlog.
More than 450,000 non-emergency tests have been cancelled since January due to to the lockdown, but restart in England and Wales today, in Northern Ireland tomorrow, and in Scotland on May 6 at the earliest.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said it is offering an additional 2,500 car tests per month by utilising weekends and bank holidays.
Up to 300 new examiners are also being recruited to help reduce the backlog.
Those who fail their test in Britain face an average waiting time of 17 weeks to book a new slot. Among those preparing is Jade Bone, 24, from Southampton, who said she is ‘quite anxious’ after more than three months without driving.
‘It’s going to be so long before I’m able to get another test if this one doesn’t go quite to plan,’ she told the PA news agency.
Stock: Student driver Roisin Clarke, 17, has a debrief with instructor Kayleigh Nurse (right), after passing her driving test in Yeovil, Somerset, July 22, 2020
Stock: Jade Paxton, 30, a keyworker from Bedlington, Northumberland, holds up her pass certificate, July 22, 2020
‘That’s quite frustrating and a scary prospect, especially because it’s an expensive thing to do, having lessons.’
Ms Bone’s instructor, Rob Fenn, of RED Driving School, said tests are ‘essentially fully booked’ due to pent-up demand.
He is advising eager students to ‘sit at a computer and keep refreshing the page’.
AA Driving School pupil Jack Hayes, 25, who is taking a test in Cardiff today, admitted he ‘really panicked’ when it was announced that driving lessons would only resume last week.
He said: ‘I booked (the test) back in October thinking there was plenty of time to learn before then.
‘I feel lucky to be one of the first people given the chance to take it, but I’ve had much less time to practise and prepare with my instructor.
‘There is also more pressure to actually pass than normal because the waiting list is so long before I can try to retake it, and more money would have to be spent on lessons to stay test-ready.’
Driving tests in England and Wales will restart today but learner drivers are under extra pressure to pass after the pandemic caused a 17-week backlog (stock)
Only 46 per cent of tests in the year to March 2020 were passed, leading the DVSA to urge candidates they should be ‘properly prepared’.
The most common reasons for failing include not looking properly at a junction (22 per cent), not using mirrors correctly when changing lane or direction (17 per cent), and not moving off safely (8 per cent).
DVSA chief driving examiner Mark Winn said: ‘Learners should only take their driving test if they are completely ready to pass, and feel they’ve had sufficient practice driving on a variety of roads and in different conditions.
‘Thousands of people fail their test every year because of common errors which are potentially dangerous and avoidable.’
Tests can be rescheduled free of charge if learners feel they need more time to prepare.
Recent analysis by PA found that driving licence numbers among young people have fallen to the lowest level since current records began.
Just 2.97 million people in Britain aged 16-25 hold a full licence, down from 3.32 million in March 2020.
Motoring experts said the decline was due to the suspension of lessons and tests.