LONDON: Getting a driver’s license is an important task for migrant families arriving in the UK. Because living in the UK without a vehicle is difficult. Owning a vehicle can be convenient, including for work-related trips. But if you ask whether it is possible to pass the driving test in the UK so easily, the DVSA figures prove that it is not. A new report shows that driving theory tests in the country are currently at an all-time low. In 2007-08, the probability of learners passing the theory test was 65.4%, but by 2022-23, the probability of success has dropped to just 44.2%. Those who fail to pass the driving test the first time can take it as many times as they want. But more than five lakh people are still on the waiting list for the driving test.
The operators of various driving schools themselves say that there is a significant difference in the ratio of success rate in different areas. Driving school operators are of the opinion that the increase in the number of questions in the theory test and the withdrawal of the help of translators, as well as the cessation of publication of new theory test questions, have reduced the success rate. Statistics indicate that the percentage of success in the practical test is also less.
Out of a total of 1,688,955 driving tests taken in 2022-23 across all driving test centers in the UK member states of England, Scotland and Wales, 44% of people passed. Statistics show that England is the most difficult country in the UK to pass theory tests. The test center in Aviemore, Scotland has the highest pass rate.
Most of the top ten centers in terms of success rate are in Scotland. Hornsea, in Yorkshire, England, has the lowest success rate. The pass percentage in Hornsea is 23.6%. Recently, many people, including Malayalis, have migrated to the UK, so many people are waiting for driving lessons. Those arriving from India can use their home country’s driving license in the UK for the first year, but then they will have to get a UK licence.
The first thing for those who are preparing to learn to drive in the UK is to apply for a provisional license. It costs between 34 and 43 pounds to get it. If this is available then you can apply for driving theory test. Once you get the date for the theory test, you can prepare for it and write the exam. Only after passing this one can start learning driving. Driving lessons cost an average of £33 per hour. According to the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) figures, one must complete 47 one-hour classes. In short, the practical study costs a minimum of £1551. Most driving training institutes charge between £33 and £50 an hour.
A person has to pay a fee of £23 to apply for the theory test. Meanwhile, the practical test costs £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings, bank holidays and weekends. All of this adds up to around £1650 for a driving test. And you have to put in a lot of effort to study. The examiners are not the ones to pretend not to notice even the smallest mistakes in the practical test.
According to DVSA’s annual figures, it can be understood that while women pass the theory test, men do better in the practical. But the gap between men and women on the practical driving test has narrowed in recent years. The difference in pass rate was 6% from 2013 to 2018 and the difference has reduced to 4% in 2022-23. Since 2007, between 1.8 and 1.5 million driving tests have been administered to drivers in the UK each year. But in 2021 alone, only 4,36,000 tests were conducted due to the covid pandemic.
English Summary:
More than five lakh people are waiting; Record drop in UK driving theory and practical test pass rates
2023-10-29 13:58:24
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