‘IMPROVEMENTS’ to Theory Test
Yes folks – you guessed it! The theory test is changing – AGAIN!!!
Learner Drivers Face New Theory Test Questions
• DSA introduces case studies into the theory test
• Candidates to be tested on understanding as well as knowledge
• Case studies are widely used in education to put learning into context
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) will start to introduce case studies into the driving theory test from the end of this month, it has announced today. From 28 September 2009, one case study will be included in the exam for car drivers, moped and motorcycle riders.
As part of the multiple choice section of the test, the case study will assess candidates’ understanding of driving theory, whilst the multiple choice questions will continue to assess their knowledge of the subject.
The introductory theory test case study will take the form of a scenario, or short story, on which five questions will be based. Candidates will answer the questions in the same way as they do now, using either the touch screen or mouse.
DSA’s Director of Driver Education and Learning, Jill Lewis, said: “Case studies are widely used in education to put learning into context and test comprehension of a subject, so many candidates will have encountered this type of question before.
“Initially we are introducing one case study based on existing questions in the theory test question bank, to get candidates used to the concept. It will also allow us to monitor any impact on the theory test. Over time, we plan to introduce more case studies into the theory test to assess candidates’ understanding of what they have learned.”
Changes to the theory test are part of Learning to Drive, a long-term programme of major reforms that will progressively strengthen the way that people learn to drive and are tested. This approach received general support from the almost 7,000 people who responded to the consultation.
Driver Training & Lessons – Liverpool North West
With a wide network of in-house trained Department for Transport Approved Driving Instructors at Grade 5 or above throughout Merseyside, we can provide a variety of structured training specifically designed to suit the different needs of the entire range of pre and post-test drivers. Our objective is to provide high quality training that reflects the needs and aspirations of each individual candidate. Instead of the usual ‘one size fits all’ approach to driving instruction, we tailor our tuition to the individual. People learn best when the experience is interesting and fun. We want our candidates to enjoy learning which results in safer and more competent drivers.Poor driver behaviour is the cause of 95% of car crashes: Directions’ tuition and coaching is based on the belief that behaviour and attitude are as important as skills. We can provide the training you need including:
- Driver training and lessons liverpool
- ADI Driving Instructor Training parts 1, 2 & 3
- ADI check test training
- NVQ Assessments
- Novice Driver Training
- Advanced driver Training
- Fleet & Defensive Driver Training
Costs and prices for all budgets Our tuition costs are competitively priced across Merseyside, the North West and UK. There are very few driver training schools that are able to deliver you such quality training across so many driving disciplines. We also add value to your driving tuition costs because we can provide many of the extra resources you’ll need through this website, saving you time and money, whilst you get to concentrate on your individual training programme.
Dangerous Driving!
Drivers ‘admit dangerous motoring habits’
They include talking on the phone or texting.
Eating behind the wheel is the most frequent dangerous motoring habit, a survey today showed.
More than two in five drivers admit to tucking into food while at the wheel in the last few weeks, the survey from Sainsbury’s Car Insurance showed.
More than a third (34%) drove while feeling tired, 20% drove while barefoot or when wearing flip flops, 17% went over the speed limit and 14% used a hand-held mobile phone.
Ten per cent owned up to driving after having had an alcoholic drink, while 10% took the controls without wearing a seatbelt.
Applying make-up
Also, 8% admitted texting while driving and 3% applied make-up while at the wheel.
Of the 1,012 people polled, 68% admitted to some form of dangerous driving during July 2007.
The biggest offenders were people in Wales and the west of England, where the offence rate was as high as 80%. Most law-abiding were those in north-west England (59%).
Stay alert
Sainsbury’s Car Insurance manager Lucy Hunter said: ‘It can be easy to become complacent behind the wheel of a car especially when driving regular routes but our advice is to stay alert and safe and don’t allow yourself to be distracted. Just one mistake could have terrible consequences.
‘Unfortunately, many motorists may not have considered the dangers behind some of their actions.’
The Press Association, All Rights Reserved.
Is your driving licence still valid?
Photocard driving licences are 11 years old in July 2009!
Did you know that all photocard driving licences need to be updated every ten years? The photograph on the licence is only valid for ten years and hence the licence itself needs to be updated accordingly. This does not mean that drivers have to retake their driving test. Next year we will start to encounter drivers with expired photographs on their driving licences.
In order to raise awareness, the DVLA will prompt drivers with a reminder that their photo is due to expire. When a photo on a photocard licence expires, the licence holder must apply to the DVLA and request that their licence is renewed. The first photographs will expire in July 2008 and reminders will commence in May 2008 onwards.
The licence holder must update their licence before their current photo expires. Failure to do so may result in a fine of up to £1000.
Driving instructors need to think about the implications of this requirement:
- Are your pupil’s licences up to date?
- If you are a PDI, will your licence be up to date when you take your qualifying exam?
- Is your own licence and those of any instructors who work for you up to date?
Driving lessons for all type of Driver Training – Learners, ADI’s, Fleet & Taxi Training
With a wide network of DfT Approved Driving Instructors at Grade 5 or above throughout Merseyside, we can provide a variety of structured training and driving lessons that meets the needs of pre- and post-test drivers.
Our objective is to provide high quality training that reflects the needs and aspirations of each individual candidate. Instead of the usual ‘one size fits all’ approach to driving instruction, we tailor our tuition and lessons to the individual.
Poor driver behaviour is the cause of 95% of car crashes: Directions’ tuition and coaching targets behaviour and attitude as well as driving skills.
We can provide all the training you need including:
- Learner Driver Training & Pass Plus
- Advanced Driver Training
- Fleet & Taxi Driver Training
- ADI Driving Instructor Training parts 1, 2 & 3
- ADI check test training
- NVQ Assessments
Joint drink-drive initiative launched by DIA and DDE+
Drink driver education plus (DDE+), the drug and alcohol road safety charity, is working with the Driving Instructor Association to take a different approach to drink driving.
DDE+ Project Leader Roger Singer said “It’s all very well saying don’t drink drive, but people need to know not to – they need to know the numbers – how long that pint of Stella, glass of wine or Alco pop takes to process till they are alcohol free and therefore fit to drive”. Charity Trustee Mrs Jo Black added “This year we want to tell younger drivers and those who will get their licence in the near further, how to manage alcohol and driving. We are doing that through an interactive DVD tutor pack which many schools and colleges are building into their tutorials.”
The DVD pack takes about 45 minute, it has a before and after questionnaire a calculator to show students how to calculate when they will be alcohol free and therefore fit to drive. The DVD tells the story of Jane and Rob, who go out for a drink one evening. They don’t drive home of course but think they will be fine to drive the next day. Next morning they get stopped because they have a brake light out, get breathalysed and are still over the limit from the night before. We see them go though the arrest process, get photographed, DND sampled, fingerprinted and placed in a cell. Next we meet them in court where they are banned for a year.
At this point the DVD pauses for a discussion on how that would be for the viewers: what would be for the implications, effects and outcomes, for them, their families and society in general? What if the worst happened: a crash, injury, death?
When the DVD resumes it has a short quiz to see what people know before learning module. It then gives the answers and goes on to show how long certain drinks take to process and how to work out when you will be fit to drive. Each drink has a time attached to it e.g. a pint of Stella takes on average three hours for your body to process. By the end you will know how long all your favourite drinks take so you can calculate when you will be fit to drive. Recent research from road safety charity Brake found that 24 per cent of convicted drivers were less than 24 years of age. Mr Singer said “Add to that the number of ‘morning after’ convictions – almost one in five – and you can see potential for change”.
DDE+ is the charity arm of Drink Driver Education, a none-profit organisation that runs course for convicted drivers under the department for transport drink driver rehabilitation scheme. Mrs Black said “We meet many convicted young drivers who would not have done it if they had known the facts.
For more information visit DDE+
Setting the standard?
Having read a recent press release from the Driving Standard Agency (DSA) one couldn’t help wonder why only ‘new drivers’ are targeted when it comes to death & serious injury in road related incidents. Sensibly the Agency is advising newly-qualified drivers to take up a course aimed to producing safer drivers, helping to reduce road deaths and injuries in the process.
DSA Chief Executive Rosemary Thew was quoted in the press release as saying that “one in five deaths on British roads involves newly-qualified drivers”. We agree this figure makes grim reading and this is the perfect time of year to drive in typical British weather; but I feel we may be missing the bigger picture. These figures are also saying that four out of every five deaths on British roads each year involve experienced drivers, yet what is being done to promote ‘safe driving for life?’ I appreciate that newly qualified drivers make up only a small percentage of all drivers and that they are over represented in KSI statistics, but what example are novice drivers being set by these supposedly better qualified drivers?
Older, not wiser
Only the other day I was following a driver displaying P-plates, who was obeying the 20mph speed limit, along a road containing a series of blind summits, hidden junctions and a continuous white line system. A following 4×4, driven by a well dressed middle-aged gentleman, decided to overtake the pair of us, narrowly avoiding oncoming traffic, while on the wrong side of the carriageway, before cutting up in front of us while braking sharply, down to avoid setting off a safety camera. One could argue that just because the gentleman was driving a 4×4 and well dressed doesn’t necessarily mean he was an experienced driver; but how often have you heard drivers say “If I took my driving test again I know I wouldn’t pass,” and then offer you a lift home? It is as if they take great pleasure from being incompetent.
How many electricians do you hear say “If I wired up a house today it would probably burn down,” and then give you a quote? If you take some time to look at the drivers, who block junctions, break speed limits or drive dangerously, it is generally not the ‘at risk’ age groups. If we want newly qualified drivers to act responsibly they have to see responsible driving as the norm. we spend too much time stereotyping sections of the driving public and focusing on what they do badly rather than promoting what they are doing competently. For example: we tend to label older drivers as ‘dithery and always driving up motorways the wrong way’ and youngsters as ‘hooligans with no respect for anyone other than themselves’.
Pass Plus vs advanced
If you consider that around 11 per cent of new drivers take up Pass Plus, which some may see as disappointing, and then compare this figure with the number of drivers as a whole who undertake an advanced driving test each year, you will find those taking Pass Plus outweigh the advanced candidates by almost ten to one. Those people taking Pass Plus are to be congratulated rather than tarred with the same brush. Presentations have been made to shock youngsters into developing safer attitudes or planning what might happen to them once they lose their licence. All of which contain sound advice and do make them think; but all of the time they see other people getting away with bad driving it is hard to convince them that they could end up the same way as those unfortunate people in the presentations.
Setting the standard
As in many countries experienced drivers set their own highway code and decide on what rules they wish to break. The current ‘Think’ campaign has helped to bring the subject of road safety into the public domain, but we do need to build on this positive initiative. In France they are making encouraging progress by labelling dangerous driving as ‘road violence’. Gradually it is becoming socially irresponsible to speed and this is already having a knock on effect for less experienced drivers. Recent partnerships between DIAmond, Lancashire County Council and the Army have seen young soldiers benefit from our ‘Enhanced Driving’ Course. Although many have held their licences for just a few months they respond well to the additional training in exactly the same way as the more experienced drivers. It is noticeable while training, on a ratio of two trainees to one trainer, how the more competent driver can set a positive example. These novices do not want to drive badly – quite the opposite: the majority are responsive and enjoy the experience of tackling new situations.
Learning to drive
As for ‘safe driving for life’, the Learning to Drive consultation document indicated that vocational qualifications would be set up to help employers who feel that the current standards of the driving test do not provide them with the confidence to employ new drivers. Ever since I began to deliver fleet training it became clear there really isn’t a uniform standard for trainers to follow, or a recognised qualification for the poor unwilling company driver who is told “You’re on a driving course tomorrow”. Rewarding drivers with recognised qualifications could be a positive step forward to improving road safety and one that would relieve the ‘duty of care’ burden now placed on employers. Let’s hope that in 2009 we can put as much effort into finding solutions as we have done researching the problems.
Changes In The Driving Test
From October 2010 there’ll be a new bit in the practical driving test where you’ll have to chose your own route to a certain place to prove you can drive independently. And the “pre-driver qualification” will be rolled out in schools and colleges around the UK over the next two years. This three month course is optional but if you pass you’ll be able to do a shorter theory test. Lessons will cover drink-driving and how to be a safe passenger, but there’ll be hands-on stuff too- like how to top up the oil and make sure your tyres are safe.
More about “pre-driver qualification.”
Steve Garrod, chief examiner for the Driving Instructors Association, discusses the proposed changes on the BBC radio 4 programme. Listen
Car and Trailer Test Questions
Combination 1
Open the bonnet, identify where the brake fluid reservoir is and tell me how you would check that you have a safe level of hydraulic brake fluid.
Identify reservoir, check level against high/low markings.
Show me how you would check that the direction indicators are working.
Applying the indicators or hazard warning switch and checking functioning of all indicators.
Tell me the main safety factors involved in loading this vehicle.
The load should be distributed evenly throughout the trailer. Heavy items should be loaded as low as possible so that they are mainly over the axle(s). Bulkier, lighter items should be distributed to give a suitable ‘nose weight’ at the towing coupling. The nose weight should never exceed the vehicle manufacturer’s specifications.
Tell me the main safety factors involved in securing a load on this vehicle
Any load must be carried so that it does not endanger other road users. It must be securely stowed within the size and weight limits for the vehicle. The load needs to be secure so that it cannot move or fall from the vehicle when cornering or braking.
Show me how you would check that your vehicle & trailer doors are secure
Physical checks should be made to ensure that windows, roof-light and all doors, including cargo doors, are properly closed.
Combination 2
Tell me how you would check the tyres to ensure that they have sufficient tread depth and that their general condition is safe to use on the road.
No cuts and bulges, 1.6mm of tread depth across the central ¾ of the breadth of the tyre and around the entire outer circumference.
Show me how you would check that the horn is working (off road only).
Check is carried out by using control (turn on ignition if necessary).
Tell me the main safety factors involved in loading this vehicle.
The load should be distributed evenly throughout the trailer. Heavy items should be loaded as low as possible so that they are mainly over the axle(s). Bulkier, lighter items should be distributed to give a suitable ‘nose weight’ at the towing coupling. The nose weight should never exceed the vehicle manufacturer’s specifications.
Tell me the main safety factors involved in securing a load on this vehicle
Any load must be carried so that it does not endanger other road users. It must be securely stowed within the size and weight limits for the vehicle. The load needs to be secure so that it cannot move or fall from the vehicle when cornering or braking.
Show me how you would check that your vehicle & trailer doors are secure
Physical checks should be made to ensure that windows, rooflight and all doors, including cargo doors, are properly closed.
Combination 3
Open the bonnet, identify where you would check the engine coolant level and tell me how you would check that the engine has the correct level.
Identify high/low level markings on header tank where fitted or radiator filler cap, and describe how to top up to correct level.
Show me how you would check the parking brake for excessive wear.
Demonstrate by applying parking brake that when it is fully applied it secures itself, and is not at the end of the working travel.
Tell me the main safety factors involved in loading this vehicle.
The load should be distributed evenly throughout the trailer. Heavy items should be loaded as low as possible so that they are mainly over the axle(s). Bulkier, lighter items should be distributed to give a suitable ‘nose weight’ at the towing coupling. The nose weight should never exceed the vehicle manufacturer’s specifications.
Tell me the main safety factors involved in securing a load on this vehicle
Any load must be carried so that it does not endanger other road users. It must be securely stowed within the size and weight limits for the vehicle. The load needs to be secure so that it cannot move or fall from the vehicle when cornering or braking.
Show me how you would check that your vehicle & trailer doors are secure
Physical checks should be made to ensure that windows, roof-light and all doors, including cargo doors, are properly closed.
