The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has just published its Annual Review for 2022 to 2023. This details the progress it has made helping learners and everyone else involved in the driving and theory tests. The report’s highlights include:

Unveiling the ‘Ready to Pass?’ campaign

Launched back in July 2022, the campaign is designed to help you figure out if you’re really ready to book that driving test – or if you should hold off.

A key part of the campaign is to promote doing mock tests with your instructor to judge your progress. To date, the campaign’s results have been positive. For instance:

  • 21% of instructors are now receiving more requests for mock driving tests with 91% of learners in May 2023 taking full mock tests
  • This has led to ‘failure to attend a driving test’ figures dropping from 4.8% before the campaign to 3.1% in February 2023.

That’s good news as research shows that mock tests really do help learners get ready for their test. For instance, the average pass rate is:

  • 47% for learners who don’t bother with a mock test
  • 65% for those that do undertake a mock test.

“Through our ‘Ready to Pass?’ campaign, we’re communicating with learner drivers about the consequences of taking a driving test too early. That’s helping us to manage the huge volume of tests people could not take during lockdown.”

Lovely Ryder, Chief Exec of the DVSA

Putting self-driving cars in the Code

While self-driving vehicles are still some way off, the DVSA decided to introduce the technology into the Highway Code to get us ready for their inevitable arrival – and their implications for road safety.

Introduced in July 2022, the new Code is designed to help people also understand how automated assistance features work and how to use them safely. The Code also helps to define what these assistance features are and how they differ to full self-driving.

Using images to tackle fraud

As Theory Test Pro recently highlighted, some learners are trying to cheat their way to a driving test pass. Typically, they hire someone to stand-in for them during the test. The result? A driver who has not taken the test is ‘allowed’ out on to our roads, representing a genuine threat to everyone around them.

To combat this issue, the DVSA  teamed up with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and introduced a new form of fraud detection. This sees the DVLA sending high resolution images of each test candidate to the DVSA, taken straight from the learner’s provisional licence.

The driving examiner then looks at this at the start of the driving test to double check the learner is who they say they are.

This new approach was introduced in February 2023 and the DVSA has already caught over 90 people trying to impersonate a candidate.

The agency says that other forms of fraud detection are being rolled out in 2023 but is not giving away any further details as it doesn’t want to tip off fraudsters.

“Working in partnership with DVLA, we’ve sent a powerful message to criminals. They understand that we’ll do all we can to stop them.”

Steve Holmes, Driver policy product owner

Giving examiners body cams

Sadly, some learners can get abusive if their test doesn’t go the way they hoped. It’s why the DVSA has now kitted out 1,600 of its driving examiners with body-worn cameras.

If at any point the examiner feels they are being threatened or need to capture inappropriate behaviour, they can switch on their camera to capture the moment. The DVSA will then use the footage to prosecute the learner.

Supporting Ukrainian refugees

The DVSA doesn’t just help UK citizens; it’s also helping Ukrainian refugees settling in Britain.

The agency has now made it easier for Ukrainians to import their own cars; previously the headlights on any vehicle under 10 years old from the country needed to be replaced at great cost to the refugee.

To help, the DVSA has introduced a special exception, enabling the headlights to be altered using a simple and safe masking device. This has already helped over 70 Ukrainian refugees to import their vehicles into the UK.

Achieving positive results

Finally, the agency’s report reveals its performance across a number of categories. Highlights include:

  • 2,780,000 theory tests carried out – that’s 16% more than in any previous year
  • 1,970,000 driving tests carried out – that’s 10% more than in any previous year
  • 96% of theory test candidates reported they were happy with the DVSA’s service.

Looking forwards

The DVSA says it will continue to build on these successes by focusing on:

  • helping you through a lifetime of safe and sustainable journeys
  • helping you keep your vehicle safe to drive
  • protecting you from unsafe drivers and vehicles.

It will be interesting to see how waiting times for driving tests are brought down over the next year. We will continue monitoring and keep you updated.

Know Your Code

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Image by Robert Fotograf from Pixabay