Are you ready for your driving test?

At the start of a learner drivers journey their aim is to pass their driving test, but this is only part of the journey to becoming a safe driver.  After someone has passed their driving test, they will have the opportunity to be able to drive alone in a car, but are they really ready for this? The aim of passing the driving test is not the real goal needed for a new driver, but some learners do manage to pass their test but then go on to not having the confidence or the ability to drive unsupervised. Due to the lack of driving tests since the COVID lockdowns many people are booking driving tests in the hope they will be ready although they do not have the ability, confidence or belief that they are ready for their test. I have heard several people say that they know they are not ready for their test, but they are going to give it a shot anyway as they don’t want to wait for another test as it could be another 5 months. Some of these people do go on to pass their test as within the 40-minute test period they manage to drive to the standard required. Many of these people do not take the advice of their driving instructor to postpone/cancel their driving test thinking that the driving instructor is trying to make more money off the learner by recommending more lessons. Currently, due to the backlog caused by the COVID outbreak, there are more people wanting driving lessons than instructors have availability. Don’t get me wrong there may be some instructors who see this as a way of making money as they may not have the waiting list that other instructors have, so how do you know if you are ready for your test?

 

The DVSA recently launched a campaign to help learner drivers assess for themselves if they believe they are truly ready to take their driving test. The campaign called ‘Ready to Pass?’, offers advice on what to look for on your driving lessons to see if you are ready for your test and advice for anyone with an upcoming test. You can find the information by following this link readytopass

 

If a driving instructor believes that a learner driver is not ready for their driving test, they can refuse to let the learner use their car for the test. Instructors are closely monitored by the DVSA to ensure that they are not letting unready learner drivers go to test and the results could lead to the driving instructor having a standards check to ensure they are giving driving lessons to the standards set out by the DVSA. This does not mean you cannot take the test, but it will not be with the instructor accompanying you or using their car. 

 

If you are not sure if you are ready for your test, use this link for advice from the DVSA and speak to your instructor or friends/family who you have been practicing with.   https://readytopass.campaign.gov.uk