If you’re reading this, you probably want to know what the extended driving test is all about. When a driver is disqualified from driving for drink driving, driving under the influence of drugs or other driving offences, the court can order the driver to go through the driving test process again.
There is often some confusion among disqualified drivers whether you have to do the theory and practical test again – it will be explained while you are in court by the judge whether you have to do an extended driving test or not. The judge’s decision will be based on how serious the committed offence was. If you have been disqualified for less than 56 days, there should be no question of you having to complete an extended driving test, your licence should be returned to you stamped by the court.
Let’s assume you need to sit an extended test, here’s what will happen:
- Once you have served your ban you will need to apply for a provisional licence.
- You will then need to re-sit the theory test which includes the hazard perception part too. This is the same as what any learner would have to sit.
- Once you have passed the theory test, you will need to call the DVSA to arrange an extended driving test. There seems to be some difficulty booking them online, so it’s best to call them up. The availability of extended tests is much lower compared to standard learner tests. The phone number to book a driving test is: 0300 200 1122.
Once you have booked your extended driving test, it’s important you prepare for it correctly. The test fee for an extended driving test is £124.00 during weekdays and £150 for evenings, weekends and bank holidays (though these £150 appointments are rare), so it’s worth having some driving lessons beforehand.
What happens on the extended test?
The test will last for approximately 60 minutes. During that time, you will be taken over various routes, usually including dual carriageways. You are allowed up to 15 driving faults (minor faults). Any serious or dangerous faults will result in a test fail. You will be asked to do one of the four possible manoeuvres:
- Parallel Park
- Reverse Bay Park
- Driving forward into a bay and reverse back out
- Pull up on the right side of the road
You will also have a 1 in 4 chance of being asked to do the emergency stop. You will also have to complete 20 minutes of independent driving, where you will be required to follow road signs or follow directions from a sat nav. Your examiner will explain when the independent driving part of the test will commence.
Will the driving examiner be more strict?
Officially, the driving examiner should mark you as if you were any other person taking their test. However, put yourself in the shoes of a responsible examiner for one minute. Imagine you are out on test with a pupil who has been disqualified for the following code: CD60. As an examiner, you know it means ‘Causing death by careless driving when alcohol level above limit’ but you don’t know the details. I’m sure even the fairest examiner may frown upon your offence.
Whatever the code on your licence is, the examiner will have an idea of the offence and will be fair. Basically, drive well and you should pass, however, if you do something borderline, they may not use their discretion like they normally would for a learner driver. Our advice at driveJohnson’s is to have an assessment with one of our instructors and tidy up any bad habits before you take your driving test. The waiting time for an extended driving test is usually quite long and the test is more than double the learner test price, so it’s worth having a few lessons to give yourself the best possible chance of passing first time.
I was disqualified for 1 year. As an experienced driver I thought I could pass without any lessons. I failed with 10 minors and 2 serious faults. I was shocked, so went to see a driving instructor in Colchester who was recommended to me.
Paul at driveJohnson’s said I only needed 6 hours to tidy everything up. I took the test with him and passed with just 1 driving fault the second time round.
My advice is that you may think you can drive (which you probably can), but ask yourself the following, “can I drive the DVSA way for 60 minutes?” If your answer is no, then you should see an instructor for a few lessons.
