Less than half pass driving test first time round

 

Less than half of learner drivers passed their practical driving test at the first time of asking in 2015/16, according to new Government data.

The figures, published on 8 September by the DfT and DVSA, show that 731,925 ‘first time’ tests were taken, with a pass rate of 47.5%.

In terms of gender, 50.9% of males passed the test first time round, compared to 44.1% of females.

The Government is currently looking into ways to improve the driving test, and a public consultation on plans to improve the car driving tests closed at the end of August.

The proposed changes are designed to make the driving test a ‘better assessment of the candidate’s ability to drive independently in modern driving conditions’.

Among those taking the test for a second time, pass rates improved slightly. 48.4% of the 377,535 tests were passed, broken down as 51.8% male and 45.3% female.

The figures also show that there were 80,522 drivers who took their practical driving test for the sixth time. Of those, 38.4% passed, meaning just short of 30,000 would be motorists accumulated their sixth test failure.

In terms of age, 1,268 people aged 61 years or more took their driving test for the first time, with a pass rate of 42%. In the same age group, 443 people underwent their test for the sixth time, with 18.1% (80) passing.