theory driving test

A woman from North Korea has been reported to have failed her driving test 775 times  (yes that’s seven hundred and seventy five times).

The 68-year-old woman from South Korea called Cha has been trying to pass her driving test and get a drivers license since 2005.

The written portion of the exam requires a 60% score to pass, but Cha has not quite hit the mark yet.

Despite the huge amount of money she has spent on test fees (which equates to approx £5,000) she is still determined to pass her test.

A man was sentenced to 15 months in prison following a long investigation by the DSA (Driving Standards Agency).

The man in question was sentenced at Luton Crown Court, at a previous hearing the court had heard that he had taken over 40 theory driving test impersonations.

Four of the people who should have taken the test but instead had the man take them also appeared in court and were convicted on charges of conspiracy receiving 2 months imprisonment each.

It is hoped that the imprisonment of the fraudsters will act as a deterrent to anyone else who tries to conduct impersonations at driving tests.

Andrew Rice the Head of Fraud and Integrity Team at DSA said: “People who impersonate driving tests present a real risk to all road users as they provide an entitlement to drive to those who have not been assessed to show that they are competent to do so“.

“The DSA investigates all cases of suspected impersonation and we are working closely with the police and the courts to track down offenders and bring them to justice.”

With Winter time being the most common season for motoring accidents , the Driving Standards Agency has advised motorists passing their test at this time of the year to take a course aimed at making motorists become safer drivers.  The DSA hopes that this will help reduce road deaths and injuries in the process.

Winter is a notorious time of the year for driving fatalities. In 2007 the worst 3 months for car users being killed due in road accidents was:

1. November  (142)
2. January (134)
3. December (133)

DSA has several initiatives to help boost road safety standards, including the Pass Plus scheme mentioned above.

The Pass Plus course is a training course made up of 6 modules, in which the candidate is expected to drive proficiently during all weathers on a mixture of most road types including dual carriageways, rural roads and motorways.

Though anyone with a car driving licence holder can take the Pass Plus course, the DSA says that its mostly beneficial to drivers who have very recently passed their driving test.

Rosemary Thew, Chief Executive of the Driving Standards Agency said: “One in five deaths on British roads involves newly-qualified drivers and this is unacceptable. Such a grim statistic gains much of its volume during this time of year due to the dark, cold and wet conditions that accompany winter“.

The online booking system people use to book their theory driving test will be unavailable on Sunday 23rd November, between the time of 8am and 10am.

The short downtime is to allow DSA to carry out essential maintenance to the system, and apologise to all users for any inconvenience caused (although 2 hours on a Sunday morning seems OK to me).

The a strike set to take place next Monday (10th November 2008) has now been called off and the DSA is urging all candidates to attend their driving tests on Monday.

Monday’s planned strike would have been a nationwide strike led by the national Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, of which some driving examiners are members and would have effected a lot of people hoping to take their driving tests.

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is now urging anyone due to take a practical driving test on Monday the 10th of to arrive to testing centre as normal.

For further information please contact DSA Press Office on 0115 936 6133.

Or find the number of your local testing centre here -> local driving test centres

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has launched a consultation of their new proposed fee structure for 2009.

The fees for practical and theory driving tests is set to rise for people who have tests booked on or after the 30th March 2009.

The closing date for responses to this consultation is 18 January 2009

Below is a table of the changes to the fees for learner drivers.

New fees applicable from 30 March 2009

A driving test centre in Bradford has according to a new survey “the lowest pass rate in the country”.

The latest figures from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) revealed that less than a third of learner drivers passed the practical exam at Heaton Test Centre.

According to the DSA difference in test centre results doesn’t mean that some test centres are easier (or harder) than others. A spokesman for the DSA said: “Examiners are highly trained to ensure that they consistently apply the DSA standard of assessment and all driving tests are assessed to a uniform standard throughout the country.

And then added: “The wealthier the area, the more likely people are able to invest more money on lessons and will have more opportunities for private practice.”

But Julie Sinclair from Auto Express hit back with  “The idea that wealthy learners are more likely to pass is ludicrous. St Albans in Hertfordshire is down the list with a 44 per cent pass rate, and you’d hardly call it poverty stricken.

“A more convincing explanation for these results is that learners in rural areas get off lightly, with dramatically lower levels of traffic, and more simple road layouts making it easier.”

According to an article on “this is London” the answer is yes, they reported that learner drivers in London face much tougher examinations in order to pass their driving test than the rest of the country.

The article was based on a new survey of official Driving Standards Agency test centres by motoring magazine Auto Express.  They survey found that drivers taking their driving tests in London are the most likely to fail, while learner drivers in Scotland are the most likely to pass.

A spokesman for the DSA responded to the survey by saying that the variation was simply due to some drivers being better prepared for their test than others. He said: “The wealthier the area, the more money budding motorists have to spend on lessons.” He said that L-test examiners were trained to ensure test consistency across the country.

A spokesperson from Auto Express the people behind the survey said: “A more convincing explanation for these results is that learners in rural areas get off lightly with lower levels of traffic.”

source www.thisislondon.co.uk

Today the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) issued a severe warning to all impersonators who sit driving tests for others.  The DSA has stated that their actions will be monitored and impersonators will face prosecution with tough sentencing by the courts.

The DSA further warned impersonators that it is committed to ensure that offenders prosecuted, in order to keep the public safe and the preserve the integrity of the driving tests .

Andrew Rice, Head of Fraud & Integrity for the Driving Standards Agency said: “Tackling impersonations is a key priority for the Agency as failing to identify offenders presents a significant danger to road safety. Through fraudulent and criminal means, impersonators gain entitlement to drive for those who are unable or unwilling to undertake the assessment to prove that they meet the required standard to drive on our roads“.