Theory Test Case Studies From 28 September 2009

The DSA have elaborated on what will be involved in the new "case study" which is being introduced to the multiple choice section of the Theory Test from 28th September 2009.

The DirectGov website describes the change as;

The case study will show a scenario that five questions will be based on.
The subject of the scenario focuses on real life examples and experiences that
drivers could come across when driving.

See the Direct Gov website at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/LearnerAndNewDrivers/TheoryTest/DG_4022534

Changes To The Theory Test From 28 September 2009

From 28 September 2009 a "case study" will be incorporated into the Theory Test.


The DSA state that this change has been made in order for "candidates to be tested on understanding as well as knowledge" and to "put learning into context".

The theory test case study will take the form of a scenario, or short story, on which five questions will be based.

As part of the multiple choice section of the test, the case study will assess candidates’ understanding of driving theory, whilst the multiple choice questions will continue to assess knowledge of the subject.

Candidates will answer the questions in the same way as they do now, using either the touch screen or mouse.

For more information please see; http://dsa.gov.uk/News.asp?id=SX12B7-A7832722

Booking Your Theory Test Online - WARNING - Don't Pay More Than You Need To!

You can book your Theory Test online via the offical website for all government services - DirectGov.

Booking your Theory Test is a very simple and straightforward proceedure which will only take a few minutes and you will pay ONLY for the test itself - there is no extra "booking fee" or "administration fee" added on.

There are a worrying number of official looking "Theory Test booking services" springing up on the internet who will book a test on your behalf - BUT they will charge you a sizeable booking fee on top of the test fee.

To book your Theory Test online via DirectGov you need;

* your driver number (from your driving licence)
* a credit or debit card with which to pay the £31.00 test fee

You can choose the date and time to suit you and if you later find you need to change the date or cancel your Theory Test you do so via DirectGov - you have complete control over your booking.

THERE'S NO NEED TO PAY EXTRA FOR YOUR THEORY TEST - book your test yourself directly with the DSA at the following link;

Online test booking service at the DirectGov website.

How To Do A Turn In The Road - "3 Point Turn"

The turn in the road is one of the manoeuvres that your driving examiner may ask you to demonstrate during your driving test.

It's often referred to as a "three point" turn but this is misleading as you aren't restricted to doing this maneouvre in only 3 turns!

The aim of the turn in the road is to turn the car round to face the other way using forward and reverse gears in a limited space (i.e. the width of the road). You need to show that not only can you do this, but that you are also in full and safe control of the vehicle throughout the manoeuvre and that you show awareness and consideration for other road users.

I have written a detailed guide to how to do a perfect turn in the road, complete with step-by-step instructions and video tutorials.

Please see How To Do A Turn In The Road for more information!

Online Driving Test Booking System Not Available 30 July to 4 August

From the Driving Standards Agency website;

30 July to 4 August
For essential IT maintenance work to take place we need to close down DSA's driving test booking systems. From 5.15pm Thursday 30 July to 8.00am Tuesday 4 August, online services to book or amend practical tests will be unavailable. Theory Test services will be available as normal. Please be aware that the Contact Centre will only be able to offer a limited service during the closedown period. Please call 0300 200 11 22 for general enquiries only. DSA apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Source: https://pt.dsa.gov.uk/tests/tests_E/pt/data_processing.asp

Should You Go Through A Red Light To Get Out Of The Way Of An Emergency Vehicle?

"Should you go through a red light to get out of the way of a police car, ambulance or fire engine with blues and twos (siren/blue flashing lights) on?

The simple answer is "No".

The Highway Code isn't a lot of help as it's advice is somewhat generalised on this point and it doesn't spell out what drivers should and shouldn't do in simple terms.

The Met Police on the other hand are rather more specific. Here's their advice;

We do NOT expect you to risk damage to your tyres, wheels or steering by bumping up kerbs to make way for us.

We do NOT expect you to put yourself in danger by crossing red traffic lights to make way for us.

We do NOT expect you to risk road camera fines by, for example, moving in to bus lanes during hours of operation to make way for us.

We would however, appreciate your co-operation by looking well ahead and choosing sensible places to pull over. If possible avoid stopping before bends, brows of hills or narrow sections of roads where we may have difficulty passing.

Source: Metropolitan Police Service

Get out of the way if you can, but be sensible - don't put anyone in danger (including yourself) and don't break the law.

Lost Or Stolen Provisional Driving Licence

We received a panic ridden text message from one of our students on Sunday afternoon. She'd been out to a club with her mates the night before and had only just realised that her purse containing her photocard driving licence was missing. She had her driving test booked in for Tuesday morning and wanted to know whether she'd still be able to take her test without the photocard part of her licence. The simple answer to her question was unfortunately "No"...

If you aren't able to show BOTH parts of your provisional driving licence (the photocard AND the paper counterpart) at either your Theory or Practical Test appointment, you won't be allowed to take the test - and you won't be able to claim a refund of your test fee either.

Lots of photocard licences "go missing" while people are in pubs or clubs. Thieves know that young people use their driving licence photocards as I.D and target such places for easy pickings while people are distracted or drunk. Not only is this annoying, but can lead to even bigger problems in terms of "identity theft", so if you think your licence has been stolen rather than simply lost, you MUST report it to the police.

It's not just the photocards that get mislaid. Many people seem to ignore the paper bit of the provisional driving licence and think it's not important. WRONG...it's VERY important.

Lots of people may ask to see the paper bit - your driving instructor needs to see both parts, the police may need to see both parts and if you ever commit a motoring offence, a court will want sight of it too.

The paper part of the driving licence is where any endorsements are shown and that's why "official people" will want to see it.

So PLEASE don't fall into the trap of keeping your photocard safe to use as I.D, but losing track of the paper bit.

If you do lose either part of your licence, not only is it inconvenient if someone needs to see it and you can't produce it, but it WILL COST YOU MONEY and time to get a replacement licence. The fee for a replacement driving licence is £20.00 and it takes up to 15 days to arrive.

...and if can't find your licence and it's too late to cancel or move your test booking or if you turn up for a Theory or Practical test without both parts of your licence, on top of the cost of a replacement licence it'll be £31 (for a Theory Test) or at least £62 (for a Practical Test) gone in lost test fees, plus the same amount again to book another test...plus having to wait for another test appointment.

LOOK AFTER YOUR LICENCE

For more info about how to replace a lost or stolen driving licence, please see DirectGov - Replacing your driving licence