Driving tests and vehicle features

Vertigo

Vertigo

Vertigo

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Joined
28 Dec 2003
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Was thinking the other day and discussing in the office today...

As far as I know, the driving test still includes a hill start test, which ensures you can pull away cleanly on an incline by blending out the handbrake as you feed in the power.

What if the car has an electromechanical handbrake? Obviously such a test can't be undertaken so are you even allowed to take a test in a car so equipped?

This widened into a further discussion on vehicle aids in general. What about parking sensors? When being tested on parking manoeuvres, are you allowed to make use of the parking sensors or are you expected to turn them off, if that's even possible? That might seem like an extreme example and the sensors aren't giving you too much assistance but then some cars have self-parking features whereby you control the accelerator and brake whilst the car steers for you and I doubt anyone would contend that such a feature could be used during a driving test.

So where's the line when it comes to such features? What is allowed to be used and what isn't? Should some cars not be permitted on driving tests due to certain equipment?

Just curious :)
 
There is a list of cars that you are unable to use for a driving test for various reasons, as mandated by the Driving Standards Agency.

I don't know what criteria is used to populate the list, rear visibility is certainly one though.
 
Vertigo1 said:
As far as I know, the driving test still includes a hill start test, which ensures you can pull away cleanly on an incline by blending out the handbrake as you feed in the power.
Click to expand...

6.12 HILL ASSIST
Many new vehicles are being fitted with a 'hill assist' device as standard. This system allows a driver, when moving off on an uphill or downhill gradient, a couple of seconds to move their foot from the footbrake to the accelerator before the device releases the footbrake automatically. If this device is fitted drivers still have to coordinate the controls and take the correct observation when moving off; consequently vehicles fitted with such a device are suitable for the the practical driving test.
 
Interesting. Personally I don't see why you should be allowed to take a test in such a car. Yes, you still have to observe and so on but a key skill of blending out the handbrake as you feed in the power isn't being tested at all.
 
Sometimes you don't actually do a hill start on the test anyway, I'm pretty sure I didn't but the instructor made me do them until I mastered it :p
 
Lashout_UK said:
6.12 HILL ASSIST
Many new vehicles are being fitted with a 'hill assist' device as standard. This system allows a driver, when moving off on an uphill or downhill gradient, a couple of seconds to move their foot from the footbrake to the accelerator before the device releases the footbrake automatically. If this device is fitted drivers still have to coordinate the controls and take the correct observation when moving off; consequently vehicles fitted with such a device are suitable for the the practical driving test.
Click to expand...

In mine, you can either do this, not using the handbrake at all, or you can apply the handbrake and then just pull away, at which point the system will release the handbrake when there's enough power to move off without rolling back.

If you used this latter system, it'd require even less "coordination".
 
Vertigo1 said:
Interesting. Personally I don't see why you should be allowed to take a test in such a car. Yes, you still have to observe and so on but a key skill of blending out the handbrake as you feed in the power isn't being tested at all.
Click to expand...

Not sure I agree - all you're doing on a hill start is making sure you've got the car balanced on the clutch when releasing the handbrake, not sure where blending comes into it? All a handbrake is is a manual way of applying pad pressure - you would t half release the handbeake for any reason. For.me.it makes little difference whether you've got to manually release the handbrake or have pressed the button for it to let you apply a little bit of power to release it - either way the driver needs to be able to move off up the hill, the pedal work doesn't really change
 
To be honest doing a hill start is probably the least of the worries anyone should have for new drivers. If the car has the ability to help them then so be it. If not, then they'll learn how to do it. And if they don't learn in the first place the probably will eventually.
 
No hill start for me either, what did annoy me was that the standard way to do an emergency stop is to slam on the brakes. Great i said but my car doesn't have abs.
 
rodenal said:
Not sure I agree - all you're doing on a hill start is making sure you've got the car balanced on the clutch when releasing the handbrake, not sure where blending comes into it? All a handbrake is is a manual way of applying pad pressure - you would t half release the handbeake for any reason. For.me.it makes little difference whether you've got to manually release the handbrake or have pressed the button for it to let you apply a little bit of power to release it - either way the driver needs to be able to move off up the hill, the pedal work doesn't really change
Click to expand...

Well yeah ok, it's not a question of blending out the handbrake as such but you still need to control the clutch and accelerator to provide just enough accelerative force that you don't roll back but not too much so it's straining hard against the handbrake. It's a test of clutch/accelerator control more than handbrake control really, the point is that, with an electromechanical handbrake, these skills aren't really tested, you just apply continually increasing power until the system releases the handbrake for you.

I guess that, in a manual car at least, they figure that changing gear provides enough of a test of clutch/accelerator control already but then, if that's the case, why bother will a hill start test at all?
 
TBF, hill starts aren't exactly the hardest things in the world. Never really went through it with my instructor when I was learning a few years back, just dealt with it when I came to a hill. Didn't even know it was in the test as such.

The automated parking is an interesting one though. Doubt you'd be able to get away with using that in a test!
 
You've answered your own query there really though op - if they apply the right pedal control for a couple of seconds so the brake disengages they've basically deminstrated everything they would do with a manual handbrake bar release it

Even with a hateful electronic handbrake if their pedal control was crap the far would stall before they got anywhere
 
Vertigo1 said:
I guess that, in a manual car at least, they figure that changing gear provides enough of a test of clutch/accelerator control already but then, if that's the case, why bother will a hill start test at all?
Click to expand...

Clutch control/changing gear/moving away smoothly (not to be confused with safely) isn't actually tested, is it? You can be as rough as you like with the clutch, stall it etc., as long as it's safe, afaik.
 
Electronic parking brakes

Times have moved on, it's perfectly accepable to use cars with electronic parking brake on test.


You can use your vehicle for your test if it is fitted with an electronic parking brake.

Vehicles you can’t use

Some models of vehicle can’t be used for the test. This is because they don’t give the examiner all-round vision. They are generally convertible cars and panel vans.

You can’t use these cars for a driving test:
BMW Mini convertible
Ford KA convertible
Toyota iQ
VW Beetle convertible

There are also some vehicles that have recalls issued against them that may not be used, usless you can prove the recall has been done.

https://www.gov.uk/practical-driving-test-for-cars/recalled-vehicles

There is a "Hill start" on test as such. Though you've probably done one and not realised. If it's not perfectly flat it would still count as moving away under control.

Did a stint as an instructor, and I'm still alive to tell the tale... LOL.

Within a few years you probably won't be able to do the test in a vehicle that does not have dual controls fitted. It's something examiners have been pushing for, for a little while.
 
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