When BBC Radio 5 Reside requested its viewers to submit inquiries to the Prime Minister for a particular dwell broadcast from Quantity 10 this week, one response stood out: a lady from Swindon needed to know why she couldn’t e-book a driving check for her son. She described becoming a member of a digital queue of 28,000 individuals, ready for hours to entry the system, solely to search out no assessments out there in her space.
The story resonated nationwide, as the typical driving check ready time in Nice Britain now stands at 21.3 weeks. And it’s a narrative trainers know all too nicely, having skilled that very same frustration of that dad or mum, many instances over, spending many an early morning, desperately making an attempt to get slots for his or her pupils.
Because of this, BBC 5 Reside ran an extra information story on the rising backlog and invited The Driving Instructors Affiliation CEO, Carly Brookfield, onto the programme. Carly spoke candidly in regards to the wider difficulty the backlog is creating, together with check reserving exploitation, dishonest on concept and sensible assessments and pupils leaping too quickly to take a check.
She additionally pointed to the priority on the lack of tempo to the DVSA’s 7-Level Plan to convey ready instances below management, and the truth that almost 25% of the plan had been additional plans to seek the advice of on measures over the subsequent few months, slightly than tangible actions to drive down ready instances within the right here and now.
And that concern turns into much more acute if you realise that three months into the 7-Level Plan being launched, ready instances have gone up – not down.
The DVSA has declared that its prime precedence is lowering ready instances for driving assessments. As of February, the nationwide common anticipate a sensible check stands at 21.3 weeks. Instantly post-pandemic, when DVSA CEO Loveday Ryder wrote to all ADIs highlighting plans to deal with the post-pandemic backlog (October 2021), ready instances stood at 15 weeks – and we thought that was an issue.
In December 2024, DVSA launched a 7-Level Plan, made up of varied measures aimed toward not solely lowering the backlog, but additionally designed to make the reserving system extra clear and forestall exploitation of learners by unscrupulous operators.
As in the present day’s BBC Radio 5 Reside dialogue (25 March), DIA CEO Carly Brookfield voiced severe issues that the “DVSA are three months right into a plan designed to convey down check ready instances and they’re truly going up.”
She described learners as panic shopping for assessments, and in some instances, maybe leaping too quickly to take a check. Carly mentioned. “DVSA have shared with us that almost 1 / 4 of all learners are taking their first check inside one month of studying to drive.” DIA’s concern is that this might result in new drivers on our roads who might be able to move a forty five minute check, however aren’t adequately ready for the true life check of driving day-after-day on our busy roads.
Her feedback mirror the real-world frustrations shared by 1000’s of driving instructors and learner drivers throughout Nice Britain. The shortage of check slots is fuelling nervousness, rushed check bookings and extortionate ‘secondary market’ check charges with some learners paying 5 instances the official check value to safe a slot through unofficial channels, a lot of which use bots to scrape GOV.UK for cancellations.
And we’re additionally seeing an increase within the dangerous enterprise of driving check cheats. “Some pupils have even been utilizing impersonators to take concept and sensible assessments,” Carly mentioned. “This could grow to be very dangerous behaviours on the highway, in the event you’re ready to cheat in your driving check, you’ll possible be a threat taker on the highway.”
Constructing on Progress, However Is It Sufficient?
DVSA’s 7-Level Plan contains measures to crack down on misuse of the reserving service, together with new phrases and circumstances for instructors utilizing the enterprise reserving platform. During the last 12 months, DVSA has taken vital enforcement motion, issuing 366 warnings, 796 suspensions, and shutting 880 enterprise accounts for inappropriate use.
DVSA additionally briefly redeployed managers and administrative workers to frontline examiner roles, delivering virtually 150,000 further assessments over the last monetary 12 months. Nonetheless, these workers are as a result of return to their authentic posts from the tip of March 2024, prompting issues that capability positive aspects could also be short-lived.
“Sadly, 25% of the measures being put ahead within the 7-Level Plan are the truth is plans to seek the advice of in regards to the measures,” Carly advised 5 Reside. “They actually need to get their foot down on implementing plan, and actions, proper now.”
Readiness, Not Simply Availability
To assist enhance check readiness and scale back failed check numbers, DVSA continues to run its ‘Able to Move?’ marketing campaign. Round 95% of customers have rated it as helpful, however behaviour change has been sluggish: 23% of learner drivers nonetheless try their first check inside only a month of starting classes.
The marketing campaign promotes key messages round preparation, together with taking a practical mock check, understanding what is going to occur on the day, and managing test-day nerves. It additionally urges candidates who aren’t able to transfer their check again – an essential, if unpopular, message throughout lengthy wait intervals.
System Abuse and Fraud
Fraud stays a rising risk to the integrity of the driving check system. To fight this, DVSA has improved its safety processes. Driving examiners now have entry to high-resolution images of provisional licence holders on their tablets, making it simpler to detect impersonation.
DVSA additionally receives frequent stories of unlawful providers on social media that supply to ‘promote’ check slots or impersonate learners. These are reported to the related platforms, and the company encourages the general public to do the identical.
“DVSA is dedicated to tackling driving and concept check fraud to guard different highway customers,” a spokesperson mentioned. “We’re targeted on prevention in addition to detection to make sure highway security.”
Listening to the Trade
As a part of its 7-Level Plan, DVSA issued a name for proof on the reserving system, which obtained over 26,900 responses from ADIs, learners, and companies. These responses are presently being reviewed and can form formal proposals to enhance the system, with a public session deliberate sooner or later.
Whereas the transfer has been welcomed in precept, many within the trade really feel time is of the essence.
“We want daring motion,” Carly urged. “The demand for assessments is just too excessive, and the longer this goes on, the extra it distorts learner behaviour.”
The Division for Transport acknowledged the issue in an announcement to BBC 5 Reside:
“Ready instances are unacceptable, and we’re working with DVSA on measures to scale back the backlog.”
A Larger Image
This isn’t only a driving check difficulty – it’s a barrier to independence, employment, and training for 1000’s of younger individuals. As one 5 Reside listener summed it up:
“This isn’t a small difficulty. Younger individuals want their licences to get out and contribute to the economic system. It’s all a part of the larger image.”
As DVSA prepares its subsequent steps, the clock is ticking. Learners, instructors, and the driving trade as an entire are united of their name for swift, decisive motion – not simply guarantees of session.
We’d wish to know your views on each the 7-Level Plan itself, and what different measures you suppose might (and will) be taken to drive down ready instances. Please take our brief survey to share your views and concepts. You’ll be able to full the survey right here
