I had a customer who lived opposite a driving examiner. My customer asked the driving examiner if he could give him one piece of advice to help him pass his driving test at the first attempt. The examiner replied: “Be more than prepared.” I couldn’t agree more. Here’s the essential information you need to help you be more than prepared for the new driving test being introduced on Monday 4 December 2017 in England, Scotland and Wales.
Independent driving, where you drive without junction by junction instructions, will double in length to twenty minutes (so around half the duration of the test). Most candidates will be following instructions on a sat nav (TomTom GO 50) but one in five will follow a signposted route. You should still ask if you’re unsure of your route and taking a different route is no problem, if done safely. Learning how to take a different route safely if you find yourself in the ‘wrong’ lane is a skill I like to practice with my customers here at Prodrive Driving School.
There are changes to manoeuvres also. Candidates will no longer be asked to do a ‘turn in the road’ or ‘reverse around a corner’. The bay parking manoeuvre will now include the option of driving forward into the bay and reversing out, as most drivers do in a supermarket car park. Surprisingly, as it contradicts the advice in Highway Code rule 239, you can be asked to pull up on the right hand side of the road and then reverse two car lengths (as if you needed to improve your view ahead around a parked car) before driving away.
‘Show me, tell me’ vehicle safety questions will also see changes in the new driving test, with the show me question being asked while your driving. You can be asked to show how you would use the front or rear screen wash, demist front or rear window, switch on headlights and operate your side window or horn. Take a look at the official video below.
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