More realistic, but easier driving test?

[El Cid 220]

Your point is not as ridiculous as it first appears; part of the test will also to show that you can operate on-car functions without being distracted. For example, altering the air con settings, or switching on rear windscreen heaters.

 

They should just learn to drive safely, I dont think its wise to do other things untill a person is a confident driver.

[the_bloke 17]

They should just learn to drive safely, I dont think its wise to do other things untill a person is a confident driver.

 

It was raining the day I passed my test; I had to operate the wipers and the screen demister. It's hardly a challenge.

 

In my opinion the test should be as realistic as possible; people are more likely to have to park in a car park these days than parallel park on the street, and any experience people can have of driving confidently whilst taking audio/visual cues from a sat nav the better.

[El Cid 220]

and any experience people can have of driving confidently whilst taking audio/visual cues from a sat nav the better.

 

A sat nav can make things much easier if you are lost, but you are always told where to go on a test, so following the instructions of the examiner or the sat nav - same difference.

[GreyhoundMum 10]

 

What I really, really want to see introduced is that every one going up for a practical exam should have had one session with a lorry driver. They keep talking about it in the Netherlands but keep pulling out. I think it will make a massive difference.

 

Amen.

 

I was taught to drive by two lorry drivers (One was a fully qualified driving instructor during the week and drove lorries at the weekends) and I think I benefited greatly from it.

[the_bloke 17]

A sat nav can make things much easier if you are lost, but you are always told where to go on a test, so following the instructions of the examiner or the sat nav - same difference.

 

You don't have an examiner telling you where to go the first time you drive on your own though do you. There is more to learning to drive than just passing the test. With every smart phone having sat nav on it and it no doubt being used by nearly all new drivers, being able to drive safely and keep concentration and remaining a high level of observation while following route instruction seems pretty important to me.

 

You talk as if you don't have much experience of using one, as if you only use it when you are lost you are defeating the object of using a sat nav in the first place.

[El Cid 220]

You talk as if you don't have much experience of using one, as if you only use it when you are lost you are defeating the object of using a sat nav in the first place.

 

I have lots of experience with sat navs. A driving test should test the person, not the add ons they use.

[UK1Quest 10]

It should have been updated 5 years ago, better yet these updates still aren't good enough. Only two of the 4 maneuvers are realistic nowadays. Im glad the sat nav has been introduced but again, it should have happened a while ago. Also not to mention there's now +10 minutes more independent driving time.

[the_bloke 17]

I have lots of experience with sat navs. A driving test should test the person, not the add ons they use.

 

It's not an add on though; as you pointed out you can't see the difference between a sat nav and an examiner telling you where to go. It's a way of testing the driver getting navigational instruction in the way they are most likely to do so once passing their test.

 

If a driving test was about pure driving ability, then they'd still be done in cars like Metros without power steering and ABS, as they make it easier to drive in the same way a sat nav does.

[Cyclone 10]

A sat nav is not part of every car, nor is it part of driving a car. It makes no sense at all to test the use of it in a driving test, and given that you can take a test in your own car, do they propose to actually supply the unit as well?

ABS and power steering is not part of the driving test, you can take the test in a car without them, you aren't required to know how power steering works or demonstrate it to be somehow different to unassisted steering. So those 2 examples are in no way analogous to sat nav.

[the_bloke 17]

A sat nav is not part of every car, nor is it part of driving a car. It makes no sense at all to test the use of it in a driving test, and given that you can take a test in your own car, do they propose to actually supply the unit as well?

ABS and power steering is not part of the driving test, you can take the test in a car without them, you aren't required to know how power steering works or demonstrate it to be somehow different to unassisted steering. So those 2 examples are in no way analogous to sat nav.

 

From the article in the OP:

 

'About half of all car drivers now have a sat nav and using them teaches drivers to better manage distractions' - which is my point. Sat navs, along with ABS and power steering and other driving aids, are a fact of life in modern cars and IMO people should be able to demonstrate they can drive using one before they pass their test and stick one on their dashboard the first day they drive on their own. I didn't see anything in the article that says they have to understand how it works, just follow the instruction, in the same way no one has to understand how power steering or ABS works in order to get the benefit when driving.

 

I'm all for realism in tests and they should be reviewing the test criteria more often to reflect trends in driving and technology.

 

Maybe they should be borrowing some screaming kids to put in the back seat too..

[Cyclone 10]

You get no choice about using power steering if you get in a car with power steering.

Sat nav is as integral to a car as radio 4. You might as well test them on changing a CD to 'prove' that they can manage to drive whilst balancing a coffee between their legs and rooting in the glove box for Clarksons power driving ballads.

[the_bloke 17]

You get no choice about using power steering if you get in a car with power steering.

Sat nav is as integral to a car as radio 4. You might as well test them on changing a CD to 'prove' that they can manage to drive whilst balancing a coffee between their legs and rooting in the glove box for Clarksons power driving ballads.

 

If motoring organisations were saying that was safe to do when driving, then yes, I'd expect someone to be able to prove they could do it safely before driving a car. It's not safe though, and I wouldn't recommend it, Clarkson has some awful taste.