Learning to drive and taking your driving test are stressful enough – especially during the pandemic where the schedules for test bookings were turned upside down and inside out. However, even though life has now returned to ’normal’, this year is actually turning out to have its own challenges – and could become even more difficult. Here’s why:

Driving test waits

The latest research shows that some learners are having to wait up to six months to snare themselves a test. According to research from app creator Route-Led, the average waiting time for your driving test is now three and a half months – double what it was pre-pandemic. In fact, the waiting time is now a whopping six months in some areas.

Route-Led recommends traveling further afield to take your test to secure a shorter waiting time. For instance, if you live in Hendon, London, you face a wait of 23.1 weeks. However, if you’re prepared to head to the Barnet test centre 6.6 miles away, you can expect that waiting time to be slashed by 10 weeks to 13.1 weeks.

  • For full details on waiting times at test centres in your area, head here.

Pass rate variations

Where you take your test appears to have a real impact on your chances of success. According to the latest data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the variation in pass rates between test centres is genuinely eye-opening.

For instance, Liverpool’s Speke facility has a pass rate of just 27.1%, the lowest in the country. However, if you use the Kendal centre in Cumbria, the pass rate shoots up to 67.4%. Perhaps driving a little further afield for your test could end up paying off. Or maybe not…

  • For further information about the pass rates in your area, head here.

More examiner strikes?

We’ve already had a raft of driving examiner strikes over the past few months. In some cases, the industrial action has led to cancelled tests and even more learner driver frustration. New strike dates have now been proposed by the Prospect Union, for example, on 7 June. If a strike does proceed, you could be impacted with the DVSA rescheduling your test.

Graduated driver licensing

Graduated driver licensing is an issue that refuses to go away. While the government ditched potential plans to apply restrictions to newly qualified drivers back in 2022, the idea keeps circling back round. The latest proposal now under consideration is to ban any driver under the age of 25 from carrying passengers in the first 6-12 months of their driving career.Road safety charity Brake says that this is a vital move as young drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash if they have passengers on board. The reason? Peer pressure is leading to some young drivers taking risks or showing off, resulting in crashes.

  • The proposal is to be considered by transport minister Richard Holden and road safety campaigners on May 16. We’ll keep you posted.

Now For Some Good News!​​​​​​

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