When BBC Radio 5 Stay requested its viewers to submit inquiries to the Prime Minister for a particular reside broadcast from Quantity 10 this week, one response stood out: a lady from Swindon wished to know why she couldn’t e book a driving take a look at for her son. She described becoming a member of a digital queue of 28,000 individuals, ready for hours to entry the system, solely to seek out no exams accessible in her space.
The story resonated nationwide, as the typical driving take a look at ready time in Nice Britain now stands at 21.3 weeks. And it’s a narrative trainers know all too nicely, having skilled that very same frustration of that dad or mum, many occasions over, spending many an early morning, desperately making an attempt to get slots for his or her pupils.
Because of this, BBC 5 Stay ran an extra information story on the rising backlog and invited The Driving Instructors Affiliation CEO, Carly Brookfield, onto the programme. Carly spoke candidly concerning the wider challenge the backlog is creating, together with take a look at reserving exploitation, dishonest on concept and sensible exams and pupils leaping too quickly to take a take a look at.
She additionally pointed to the priority on the lack of tempo to the DVSA’s 7-Level Plan to carry ready occasions below management, and the truth that almost 25% of the plan have been additional plans to seek the advice of on measures over the following few months, somewhat than tangible actions to drive down ready occasions within the right here and now.
And that concern turns into much more acute once you realise that three months into the 7-Level Plan being launched, ready occasions have gone up – not down.
The DVSA has declared that its prime precedence is lowering ready occasions for driving exams. As of February, the nationwide common look forward to a sensible take a look at stands at 21.3 weeks. Instantly post-pandemic, when DVSA CEO Loveday Ryder wrote to all ADIs highlighting plans to sort out the post-pandemic backlog (October 2021), ready occasions stood at 15 weeks – and we thought that was an issue.
In December 2024, DVSA launched a 7-Level Plan, made up of varied measures geared toward not solely lowering the backlog, but in addition designed to make the reserving system extra clear and forestall exploitation of learners by unscrupulous operators.
As immediately’s BBC Radio 5 Stay dialogue (25 March), DIA CEO Carly Brookfield voiced severe issues that the “DVSA are three months right into a plan designed to carry down take a look at ready occasions and they’re really going up.”
She described learners as panic shopping for exams, and in some circumstances, maybe leaping too quickly to take a take a look at. Carly stated. “DVSA have shared with us that just about 1 / 4 of all learners are taking their first take a look at inside one month of studying to drive.” DIA’s concern is that this might result in new drivers on our roads who could possibly cross a forty five minute take a look at, however aren’t adequately ready for the actual life take a look at of driving on daily basis on our busy roads.
Her feedback replicate the real-world frustrations shared by hundreds of driving instructors and learner drivers throughout Nice Britain. The shortage of take a look at slots is fuelling nervousness, rushed take a look at bookings and extortionate ‘secondary market’ take a look at charges with some learners paying 5 occasions the official take a look at value to safe a slot by way of unofficial channels, lots of which use bots to scrape GOV.UK for cancellations.
And we’re additionally seeing an increase within the dangerous enterprise of driving take a look at cheats. “Some pupils have even been utilizing impersonators to take concept and sensible exams,” Carly stated. “This could turn into very dangerous behaviours on the street, in case you’re ready to cheat in your driving take a look at, you’ll probably be a threat taker on the street.”
Constructing on Progress, However Is It Sufficient?
DVSA’s 7-Level Plan consists of measures to crack down on misuse of the reserving service, together with new phrases and circumstances for instructors utilizing the enterprise reserving platform. Over the past yr, DVSA has taken important enforcement motion, issuing 366 warnings, 796 suspensions, and shutting 880 enterprise accounts for inappropriate use.
DVSA additionally briefly redeployed managers and administrative employees to frontline examiner roles, delivering virtually 150,000 further exams over the last monetary yr. Nonetheless, these employees are as a result of return to their authentic posts from the top of March 2024, prompting issues that capability features could also be short-lived.
“Sadly, 25% of the measures being put ahead within the 7-Level Plan are in reality plans to seek the advice of concerning the measures,” Carly advised 5 Stay. “They actually need to get their foot down on implementing plan, and actions, proper now.”
Readiness, Not Simply Availability
To assist enhance take a look at readiness and scale back failed take a look at numbers, DVSA continues to run its ‘Able to Go?’ marketing campaign. Round 95% of customers have rated it as helpful, however behaviour change has been gradual: 23% of learner drivers nonetheless try their first take a look at inside only a month of starting classes.
The marketing campaign promotes key messages round preparation, together with taking a sensible mock take a look at, understanding what is going to occur on the day, and managing test-day nerves. It additionally urges candidates who aren’t able to transfer their take a look at again – an necessary, if unpopular, message throughout lengthy wait durations.
System Abuse and Fraud
Fraud stays a rising menace to the integrity of the driving take a look at system. To fight this, DVSA has improved its safety processes. Driving examiners now have entry to high-resolution pictures of provisional licence holders on their tablets, making it simpler to detect impersonation.
DVSA additionally receives frequent reviews of unlawful companies on social media that supply to ‘promote’ take a look at slots or impersonate learners. These are reported to the related platforms, and the company encourages the general public to do the identical.
“DVSA is dedicated to tackling driving and concept take a look at fraud to guard different street customers,” a spokesperson stated. “We’re targeted on prevention in addition to detection to make sure street security.”
Listening to the Trade
As a part of its 7-Level Plan, DVSA issued a name for proof on the reserving system, which obtained over 26,900 responses from ADIs, learners, and companies. These responses are presently being reviewed and can form formal proposals to enhance the system, with a public session deliberate sooner or later.
Whereas the transfer has been welcomed in precept, many within the trade really feel time is of the essence.
“We’d like daring motion,” Carly urged. “The demand for exams is just too excessive, and the longer this goes on, the extra it distorts learner behaviour.”
The Division for Transport acknowledged the issue in a press release to BBC 5 Stay:
“Ready occasions are unacceptable, and we’re working with DVSA on measures to cut back the backlog.”
A Larger Image
This isn’t only a driving take a look at challenge – it’s a barrier to independence, employment, and schooling for hundreds of younger individuals. As one 5 Stay listener summed it up:
“This isn’t a small challenge. Younger individuals want their licences to get out and contribute to the economic system. It’s all a part of the larger image.”
As DVSA prepares its subsequent steps, the clock is ticking. Learners, instructors, and the driving trade as an entire are united of their name for swift, decisive motion – not simply guarantees of session.
We’d wish to know your views on each the 7-Level Plan itself, and what different measures you suppose might (and will) be taken to drive down ready occasions. Please take our quick survey to share your views and concepts. You possibly can full the survey right here.
