Blog posts from June 2009

I attended a meeting a couple of weeks ago, where the speaker was a DSA Assistant Chief Driving Examiner. He works for a department within the DSA which looks at and regulates the standards of driving examiners. The presentation he gave mainly related to the examination and continued testing of driving instructors (ADIs) but was also relevant to examiners who take learners out on test. His talk certainly reassured me that every effort is taken to ensure that all driving tests carried out are fairly and consistently marked as far as they can be.

Obviously there is always a possibility of human error, and for those occasions that you feel you’ve been unfairly treated then there is a complaints procedure that can be followed. This procedure is marked out on the driving test report, a copy of which you receive at the end of the test.

But in general I believe that examiners' marking is consistent and fair. If anyone fails a test there is always a genuine reason for it, and that reason needs to be addressed and worked on to get you ready for, and able to pass,  the next test you take.

While on holiday in Cornwall last week, it struck me how different the driving conditions are in various parts of the country.

In Birmingham we have to deal with big multiple lane roundabouts, dual carriageways, congested areas such as Kings Heath High Street and Northfield in the rush hour, not to mention un-sympathetic van drivers and boy racers.

In rural Cornwall it’s all about quiet, narrow, twisty lanes, big hedges, ramblers, horse and bike riders and trying to find somewhere to stop for a cream tea!

But in both cases you still have to use the same skills of observation, awareness and planning in order to stay safe.  Instead of expecting there to be a pedestrian crossing just around the next corner, we may have to expect there to be a horse, or a tractor turning out of a farmyard. Instead of streets with parked cars and skips causing “meeting traffic” situations, we may have to find a way of making space for an oncoming motor caravan on a narrow lane.

Wherever you learn to drive and take your driving test, use the same skills and apply them to every situation you come across, anywhere in the world.