Independent Driving – DSA driving test changes – from 4th October 2010

The DSA will introduce on 4 October 2010 a new form of independent driving in the driving test. It has been normal practice up until now for the DSA when a student sits a driving test to do to manoeuvres, and if the student is lucky he may also get an emergency stop. The DSA claim that they do at least one emergency stop out of every five tests that are taken by students.

In the new test, starting on 4 October 2010, the student will only be required to do one manoeuvre, and if the student is lucky he will also get an emergency stop. In the driving test however the emergency stop is referred to as a controlled stop. Hopefully we can all do a controlled stop when things are out of control?

Please find below various articles which have been made available by the DSA regarding the test changes which are about to take place on 4 October 2010.

Available information and articles;

Watch the video

The following article is available on the DSA website regarding the changes to the driving tests;

The article by the DSA gives a brief description of the changes which we can expect to the practical driving test on 4 October 2010.

One of the very strange facts about driving tests, is that we all remember our driving test. It is, when we have passed it, a life changing affair. All students, no matter how young or old they are remember above all their driving test. When we sit our driving tests, the subconscious awareness of this gate to freedom, has an astounding effect on our degree of nervousness.

The following quote from an article written by Margaret Malpas, BDA Chair, of the British Dyslexia Association gives a good indication of what dyslexia is about and how this may affect a dyslexic person “The forthcoming change to all practical driving tests to include a section of independent driving has led to a useful and constructive collaboration between the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) and the British Dyslexia Association to try and find reasonable adjustments for this element of the test for those people who have dyslexia.
The following questions and answers describe the potential issues and the solutions being implemented.”

It would be a good idea for driving instructors to read this article as it gives some very useful pointers on the approach that needs to be adopted when teaching persons who suffer from dyslexia. Possibly, we may also recognise certain elements of problems we were never aware of.

Follow this link to the article by Margaret Malpas, BDA Chair, of the British Dyslexia Association, posted on the DSA website.