The DVSA responded to the media today regarding the decade low driving test pass rate. They have published an article today, responding to the media reports that the current driving test pass rate of 45.8% has been affected by the dangerous manoeuvre, pulling up on the right.
They say the top reasons for failing your driving test are ‘failing to look properly at junctions’ and ‘the use of mirrors before changing direction’.
The new manoeuvre was introduced on 4th December 2017, as an attempt to make the driving test more real life.
Manoeuvres like reverse around a corner are used far less in real life compared to the pulling up on the right.
Why are so many people complaining about the new test?
Many people who live in rural areas may not need to use the manoeuvre, so in their opinion of the manoeuvre is that it isn’t needed. However, in large cities and towns where the population is high and parking opportunities by the side of the road are becoming less, new drivers need the skills to park on the right side of the road as well. The DVSA advise that if parking on the left is available, that is the preferred and safer option, though real life situations now means drivers need to know and have the ability to park on both side of the road safely – that’s what the new implementation of pulling up on the right tests.
The DVSA Chief Driving Examiner, Mark Winn, says, ‘the DVSA’s priority is to help everyone through a lifetime of safe driving.’
Tara Singh, driveJohnson’s driving instructor in Wrexham, says:
“There was a lot of uproar about the new test changes. However, my opinion is the pull up on the right manoeuvre is actually much easier to teach than the old reverse around the left corner manoeuvre.
Many learners struggled reversing around the corner and they could take hours to learn and perfect it. Every learner I have taught has grasped the pull up on right exercise very quickly.
The test has progressed to using much faster roads, so there is less time going around 30mph streets. In many areas, the learners are facing more complicated junctions at higher speeds which is why observations is the statistically most common reason for failing still.”
