Test Limit? What do you think?

Durzel said:
I don't understand the people who say "I know someone who failed 4 times, but it was only because of the test - they're a good driver really!". What happens when this "good driver" is put into a similar stress situation - e.g. busy motorway or something, won't they just exhibit the same symptoms?
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Nope. I failed twice because of test-related nerves, and less than a year later I'm fine even on the M6 ;)
 
Theres no statistical evidence that people who pass first time have less accidents than people who pass first third/fourth time, if anything it goes the other way.
 
I would think the only difference is that the people who failed ended up with more experience behind the weel than those who got it right first time. When you are inexperienced just a few extra hours can make a big difference. Or maybe those that failed have become very cautious?

I passed first time but I did hundreds of hours, not because I needed to but because I was driving with my father. I drove on 2 hour country runs and days out, I was not really interested in passing my test because I could not afford a car but my father was keen and pushed me. After a year I had 4 'real' lessons and passed.

Not sure about a limit but a cooling off period would be a good idea, just to stop people getting it via luck.

I have a friend who also failed his theory 6 times, the thing is his scores went down not up. Eventually he spawned a 30 and passed.

Some people are just not built for driving imo, you can see it straight away when you are in the car with them. They clearly do not have a suitable disposition and hand/eye/foot co-ordination to drive well. I am not saying they should be banned but they are never going to be slick.
 
I don't think there should be an overall limit, but perhaps there should be a limit of the number of tests you can take in a year.

I passed first time, but I was a bit sloppy!
 
I failed 4 times before passing on my 5th

I wont blame it all on the pressure of the test, for me it was more about how much i needed to drive, company i worked for had moved to somewhere that was 25-30 mins drive away and no option of public transport, i couldnt really count on lifts and a taxi to work was £15 each way which i was doing 2-3 times a week when a lift wasnt available

I also know for a fact that id have passed my second test, only 4 minors but he'd marked me down for a serious right out of the gate, said id pulled out straight out of a junction without looking and made someone brake sharply, except id waited and looked because id stopped and allowed a woman to cross the road i knew for a fact that there was nothing coming, just for good measure he added another for the exact same thing coming back into the test center so i couldnt argue the first, lying *******!!!!
 
lordrobs said:
To be honest its the standard that the learner has reached by the time they finally pass which is important to me. How many attempts it takes them to get to that level is irrelevant.
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the standard is pretty low IMO. you can make 17 mistakes on your test and still pass lol somethings not right about that.
 
The government or DVLA certainly wouldn't put a limit on the number of tests people can take due to them cashing in big-stlye.
 
I passed the practical first time (couple of takes on the theory though). I think after every 3 attempts you should have to wait 6 months before allowed to try again. Also the test should be longer and include m/way driving etc.
 
Nope there should be no limit, a lot of people who fail repeatedly just get stupidly nervous. They can drive fine with there instructor/on there own. But when it comes to a test they fall to bits.
 
RoB- said:
Instructors shouldn't be letting anyone but himself drive out of the test centre, pass or fail. It's not a law but more of an unwritten rule, used because you are either overjoyed and relieved or unhappy and angry, either way you shouldn't be driving.
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as far as i'm aware the reason for this is insurance.
insurance for a driving instructor covers any learner but only the specified full license holder...namely himself (or herself).
once you've actually passed you are no longer insured to drive his car
 
The_Dark_Side said:
as far as i'm aware the reason for this is insurance.
insurance for a driving instructor covers any learner but only the specified full license holder...namely himself (or herself).
once you've actually passed you are no longer insured to drive his car
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Yup.

I distinctly remember my instructor driving me home after passing for that exact reason. You are only insured as a learner driver. As soon as you pass, you are no longer a learner.

The only obvious contradiction to that rule is the Pass Plus course, but then you are a learner again, albeit on a full licence.
 
Durzel said:
If you fail a driving test because you collapse and make mistakes under pressure then how in the hell does that make you a good driver?

I don't understand the people who say "I know someone who failed 4 times, but it was only because of the test - they're a good driver really!". What happens when this "good driver" is put into a similar stress situation - e.g. busy motorway or something, won't they just exhibit the same symptoms?
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not necessarily.
on the road you have the particular traffic situation to deal with.
on your test you have the same problem but you also have someone right beside you who's job it is to scrutinise and judge your every move.
that's the difference and for some people this causes problems.
a license is something a learner wants, they've already worked out how much freedom they will gain with one and so on a test with the guy who can say yeay or neay will always make some people jittery.
couple that with the fact your nice friendly instructor got out and the stereotypical stone cold personality donor of an examiner got in and you will see a serious attack of nerves in certain people.
for example how many people have you heard say that they had their worst drive on their test? i know that's true for me.
 
Enfield said:
The government or DVLA certainly wouldn't put a limit on the number of tests people can take due to them cashing in big-stlye.
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cashing in big style?
in what way?
the money for your lessons becomes part of your instructors wages.
the test fees go to the examiners wage packet and to the admin required for all the paperwork/scheduling that needs to be done.
hardly cashing in.

Tony-bash by all means, but only when there's a point to be made.
 
Memphis said:
The only obvious contradiction to that rule is the Pass Plus course, but then you are a learner again, albeit on a full licence.
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to the best of my knowledge not all instructors offer Pass Plus so it's possible that their insurance terms differ.
 
just my opinion:-

you can't make the test much harder without making it longer...and that means more cost and more manpower.

all drivers should be required to be re-assessed every five years.
note i did not say re-tested.

upon passing your car test your new full license should expire within six months.the only way to upgrade this to the usual type that runs out the day before your 70th birthday is to have passed some form of motorway training.
 
There is a guy who I know passed his test first time, but my god he's an awful driver. He is that bad he shouldn't have passed his test.

I won't even get into the same car if he drives. Irony is that everybody thinks this, but he doesn't, yet a week after he passed his test he reversed into a metal post :rolleyes:
 
Duke said:
I passed the practical first time (couple of takes on the theory though). I think after every 3 attempts you should have to wait 6 months before allowed to try again. Also the test should be longer and include m/way driving etc.
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I can see what you are getting at, although the motorway part would not be practical for many people (nearest motorway to me is about 150 miles away). I get what you are saying though it would be preferable to have some experience driving on diffrerent road types if possible. What bothers me more is the amount of people that pass their tests and have never driven in poor road conditions (snow, ice, heavy rain etc) and have never driven in the dark (quite possible if you take and pass your test during the summer months). It is quite often apparent that some people have no confidence in poor conditions as they weren't taught how to drive in them.
 
Should really only get one go at it imho, after that you should get a psychological examination to test whether you are really fit for the road, if you pass that then your instructor should be ssuspended for letting you sit the test when you weren't equipped to pass it.
 
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