Driving test: Hundreds of examiners to be recruited to reduce ‘sky-high’ waiting times

Hundreds of driving examiners will be recruited to reduce “sky-high” waiting times for tests, the government has announced.

The future roads minister, Lillian Greenwood, said “no one should have to wait six months when they are ready to pass their driving test” and admitted there was a “huge” backlog.

The recruitment drive is part of a wider plan which the government says will reduce waiting times to seven weeks by December 2025.

Driving instructors have described the current system as a “nightmare” and doubt the proposed changes will make a material difference.

Figures released by the Department for Transport (DfT) earlier this year showed that the number of driving tests taken in the 12 months to the end of March reached a record high of 1.9 million.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has now set out a plan to tackle long waits, which have seen learners pay more for tests booked by profit-seeking third parties. are

The measures announced also include the recruitment and training of 450 driving examiners across the UK.

The DVSA will extend the period for changing or canceling a test without losing money to 10 working days from the previous three working days to discourage late cancellations.

There will also be consultation on proposals to extend the time for booking a new test for learners who fail after making serious or dangerous mistakes. Learner drivers currently have to wait 10 working days before being able to book another test.

Current rules about tests being booked up to 24 weeks in advance will also be looked at to see if learners can sign up ahead.

Ms Greenwood said passing the driving test was a “life-changing opportunity for millions” but “skyrocketing waiting times for tests in recent years have denied many people the opportunity”.

“No one should have to wait six months when they’re ready to pass, travel across the country to take a driving test or fall victim to unscrupulous websites just because they can,” he said. They can’t afford to wait,” he said. .

“The scale of the backlog we inherited is huge, but today’s measures are an important step in tackling long driving test waiting times, protecting learner drivers from exploitation and helping more people get on the road. are.”

Learner driver Kitty Bell said she had booked a test for December 16 before she “panicked” a few weeks ago and delayed it.

The Durham University student took a mock test with her instructor and, under pressure, said she “forgot everything” so decided she needed more practice.

Hoping for a new test slot in March, Ms Bell was anxious to get the earliest possible appointment for May 2025.

“It’s a five-month wait, it’s crazy,” she said.

Diana Mulren has been teaching learner drivers in Hendon, north-west London, for more than 40 years, and is part of a WhatsApp group of local instructors who exchange tests for their students.

He described the current system as “an absolute nightmare” and said students were encouraged to take the test even if they were unwilling to endure months of waiting to try again.

Mrs Mulrin said the DVSA had failed to adequately address the issue of test slot bookings by brokers.

She said adding more driving examiners only increases the number of tests that can be taken by third parties, and she doesn’t see how those businesses are being put out of business.

“What they should do is stop all bookings except for the student. One credit card, one license, one test. Done,” he said.

The government says the new terms and conditions for driving tests will come into force from 6 January 2025 which “make it clear that driving instructors and businesses must not book driving tests on behalf of learner drivers that they are not teaching. are”.

It added that only driving instructors or businesses that employ instructors can use the service to book car driving tests.

Helen Ansell, who worked as an instructor in Cornwall for four years, said she was “not very optimistic” that the proposals would change anything.

He suggested that students should keep a training log to ensure learner drivers aren’t taking test slots when they’re not ready.

“Once they’ve done a certain number of hours with an instructor, say 20 hours, then they can book the test,” he said.

The BBC has contacted the DFT for comment on driving instructors’ concerns.

Additional reporting by Anna Lamche