Practical Test
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The Practical Driving Test
The driving test is straightforward and has been designed to see if you can drive safely, know The Highway Code and can demonstrate this through your driving.
A standard driving test takes about 40 minutes.
The local driving test centre is located in Workington. It currently costs £62.00.
Your instructor parent or a friend, aged over 18, can accompany you on your test, however they can take no part in the test. If they provide any assistance or even encouragement the test will be cancelled and you will loose your fee.
Driving test explained
The test will include an eyesight check (if you fail this, your test will not continue and you will loose your fee). The eyesight test requires you to read a number plate that is a certain distance away. After the eyesight test you will be asked two vehicle safety questions.
You will then be examined on your general driving and on one reversing exercise. The reversing exercises will be chosen from:
Reversing around a corner - see additional page on sidebar for a video
Turn in the road
Reverse parking, either reverse parking behind a car or into a bay
There is also an element of independent driving, see below.
You may also be asked to carry out an emergency stop exercise
Taking your driving test
During the driving test the examiner will give you directions which you should follow. Test routes are designed to be as uniform as possible and will include a range of typical road and traffic conditions. During the test, the examiner will ask you to carry out a set exercise. The examiner will be looking for an overall safe and competent standard of driving.
Throughout the test you should drive in the way you have been taught. If you make a mistake, don't worry about it, it might be a less serious driving fault and may not affect your result. You can make up to 15 driving faults and still pass the test (16 or more results in failure). However, if you commit one serious or dangerous fault you will fail the test.
Independent Driving
From 4 October the Driving Standards Agency is introducing changes to the practical driving test. This involves all vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, buses LGV's and HGV's. During your test, you'll be asked to drive for around ten minutes by following either traffic signs, verbal directions or a combination of both. The examiner can also show you simple diagrams. The aim is to show that you can handle road and traffic conditions safely, while following a series of traffic signs or verbal directions.
It doesn't matter if you don't remember every direction, or if you go the wrong way - this can happen to the most experienced drivers. If you ask for a reminder of the directions, the examiner will be happy to confirm them to you. If you go off the independent driving route, nothing will be marked unless you commit a driving fault. A lot of people worry what will happen if they go wrong. First of all, they can ask the examiner, just as they can now: "Which way was it you wanted me to go at the end of the road? Am I still following the signs for Maryport?" That's just the same as they could do now. There's no problem with that and the examiner will respond accordingly. If they do go wrong, again, that happens today in the present test. It doesn't matter - there's no fault, unless of course a fault has occurred whilst going wrong. The examiner will simply get them back on route. If the route, in the independent section, is actually obscured at some point by trees, a building or even a large parked vehicle, the examiner knows that and they will say: 'The sign's obscured but you need to take the next left.' They'll let them continue to drive independently after that point.
The new driving test is designed to focus less on maneuvers and more on the kind of realistic driving experience that you might encounter day to day. New drivers will need to navigate and make decisions, so the new test gives you the chance to show that you can drive safely in any conditions, preparing you for the first time you drive on your own.