Retaking the Driving Test

[osprey]

I think it should become Law that the Driving Test should be retaken every 10 years. This would lead to better driving as many people forget what they have been taught after passing their Test and get into bad habits that they don't realise they have. Additionally, a Driving Instructor friend of mine recently died but when talking to him in recent months he admitted that over the past few years he and the majority of his colleagues had become convinced that learners were being taught how to pass their test and NOT how to drive properly. I found this to be very alarming and I hope it isn't true but I have a feeling that it is.

[jake-the-peg]

If there is a difference between learning to pass a driving test and learning to drive properly then it would seem logical that the content of the driving test is at fault.

If that is true making everybody take it every 10 years would make a bad situation worse!

[mccfluff]

i've passed my test last year and my instructor openly admitted he was teaching me what i needed to know in order to pass the test, however i went on to do pass plus afterwards an that was invaluable esp the motorway lessons, i really think this should be made compulsary.

[Siamsal]

I agree with the general sentiment, but as has been pointed out, wouldn't you just get the 'this is how to pass the test' syndrome? (Is driving going the same way as GCSEs?)

It may be better to have a test with an IAM instructor every 5 or 10 years. These people tend to teach much more realistic and useful skills than the 'how to pass the test' instructors.

[maggie01]

It is human nature I suppose to do things your own way and that I am afraid includes driving. I am sure the majority of drivers who have passed their test some time ago have got into bad habits. Not sure taking a test every 10 yrs would make any difference. You would brush up to get through the test and possible revert back to bad habit when you have passed.

[Toureman]

The only way to improve driving standards is to make the IAM or ROSPA advanced tests mandatory after a few years or so, passing the ordinary driving test in no way makes you a good driver, it just gets you a licence to drive.

As the people who have asked or answered here seem interested in improving driving standards who has done anything about it by doing an advanced test?

[pagey]

very true. my mum used to be a driving instructor and she told you how to do everything PROPERLY not just to pass your test.

every 10 years may be a little impractical, but 15, 20 or at a certain age would do nicely. for one, things are changing so much on the roads now that someone who passed 40+ years ago is unlikey to have learnt about modern road systems. It was on the news that many drivers were going to be 'confused' about the proposals to drive on hardshoulder in heavy traffic on selected streches of motorway (a switched lane). They shouldn't be confused!