Safer roads for the UK with tougher tests?

The UK’s driving test has been made far tougher in recent times, in a bid to boost safety. Some people take up to 21 attempts to pass their practical test, according to data from the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The information covers every year between 2009 and 2018. In 2016, one driver passed at the 21st attempt in one year. Another driver took 19 attempts to pass in 2018. Meanwhile one learner failed 19 tests in 2009, 2015 and 2017. The car driving test pass rate was 45.8% for the 2018/
July 24, 2019 Read time: 1 min

The UK’s driving test has been made far tougher in recent times, in a bid to boost safety. Some people take up to 21 attempts to pass their practical test, according to data from the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The information covers every year between 2009 and 2018.

In 2016, one driver passed at the 21st attempt in one year. Another driver took 19 attempts to pass in 2018. Meanwhile one learner failed 19 tests in 2009, 2015 and 2017.

The car driving test pass rate was 45.8% for the 2018/19 period. This was the lowest figure since 45.3% for the 2008/9 period. In all 18,922 learners passed the practical test with zero faults for the 2018/19 period. This was an improvement over 18,410 for the 2017/18 period.

Related Content

  • The hanging Honda
    August 10, 2018
    Police in Toronto are still mystified as to how and why a stripped-out Honda was left dangling from a busy bridge. At first it was thought the car had been placed there as part of a movie shoot, but it was quickly realised that this was not the case and no request had been filed to carry out such a stunt. The car was stripped of any identification as well as many mechanical components, reducing its weight sufficiently for it to be suspended from a single cable. After a period left hanging, the vehicle was l
    Read More
  • Distracted driving report from European nations
    December 11, 2017
    There are now calls from right across Europe to increase education, enforcement and penalties for distracted driving. Surveys across Europe have revealed worrying attitudes to the use of mobile devices while driving, according to a report by the European Transport and Safety Commission (ETSC). Campaigners are calling for better enforcement, higher penalties, technological solutions and education to raise awareness of the risks. A survey in the Czech Republic found that 36% of drivers admitted using their
    Read More
  • Safer roads in European nations Latvia and Czech Republic
    January 10, 2018
    Official data shows that both Latvia and the Czech Republic have seen an improvement in road safety during 2017. The number of road fatalities from crashes in Latvia dropped to a historic low level of just 134, a drop of 16% from the 158 recorded in 2016. The fatal road casualty rate included 50 pedestrians, a drop of 9% from 2016. In all, 4,942 people were injured in road crashes in Latvia during 2017 according to the official data from the Ministry of Transport. Meanwhile in the Czech Republic, road fata
    Read More
  • Private owners seek a buyer for the UK’s only toll road, M6 Toll
    February 15, 2016
    Britain’s only toll road, the motorway M6 Toll, is up for sale by its owners, a consortium of banks that hope to recover some of the €2.45 billion of debt. The 27 owners of M6 Toll, including Crédit Agricole, Commerzbank and Banco Espirito Santo, took over the 43km pay-as-you-go toll road from infrastructure group Macquarie in December 2013 after a debt restructuring. Midland Expressway Limited (MEL), part of Macquarie Atlas Roads, continues to operate the six-lane motorway around the English city of
    Read More

Highlighted Content