Experienced Drivers - Would you pass your test again?
Experienced Drivers - Would you pass your test again?
Author
Discussion

samnmp

Original Poster:

17 posts

197 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
I have recently booked my driving test, so I am in no way an experienced driver, however after talking to a few people who have been driving for 10+ years, I get the feeling very few believe they would pass the current practical or theory test?
If you do, why do you think that you haven't developed enough bad habits, or forgotten too much?
If you don't think you would pass again, what would it be on?

Sam

zip929

670 posts

207 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
I passed my car test 28 years ago.
I recently passed a mock teory test with just a couple of wrong answers.
My wife is a driving instructor so i am sure a couple of hours refresher would help me pass the practical again. biggrin

belleair302

7,015 posts

237 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
I think with soem work on the theoretical portion it would not be so hard. I am a believer in people redoing their tsts every decade....may help improve driving standards.

Shaw Tarse

31,900 posts

233 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
This question comes up from time to time.
Theory I'd pass no problem (I think)
Practical, I passed the Direct Access a few years ago.

vonhosen

40,597 posts

247 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
samnmp said:
Experienced Drivers - Would you pass your test again?
Yes

Fartgalen

6,932 posts

237 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
As long as I remembered the '10-2' and feeding the wheel, checking over the shoulder kind of stuff, then, yes.

CommanderJameson

22,096 posts

256 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
Yes, I think I would.

vonhosen

40,597 posts

247 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
Fartgalen said:
As long as I remembered the '10-2' and feeding the wheel
You don't have to do that, retaining effective control & accuracy with your steering is what you 'have' to do.

samnmp

Original Poster:

17 posts

197 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
vonhosen said:
Fartgalen said:
As long as I remembered the '10-2' and feeding the wheel
You don't have to do that, retaining effective control & accuracy with your steering is what you 'have' to do.
I was told that if you don't hold ten to two as often as possible, they may fail you? or is that just a way to make sure that students will retain control etc?

Sam

Fartgalen

6,932 posts

237 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
vonhosen said:
Fartgalen said:
As long as I remembered the '10-2' and feeding the wheel
You don't have to do that, retaining effective control & accuracy with your steering is what you 'have' to do.
So as long as I had effective control and accuracy, with one hand on the wheel, elbow on the door, and the other hand changind CD's, I'd be OK.

Are you allowed to do the one-handed power steering "window polishing" spin on the reverse turn, with the other hand supporting you placed behind the passenger seat ?

Fleckers

2,880 posts

231 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
Of course I would

Anyone who says no are breaking the law by saying they can not pass the expected levle of driving to be safe on our roads, having just walked the dog and seen 2 different low speed accidents where morons can not work out how to move their cars while checking for other road user and making sure the appropiate speed was in use


Typhon

525 posts

264 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
belleair302 said:
I think with soem work on the theoretical portion it would not be so hard. I am a believer in people redoing their tsts every decade....may help improve driving standards.
Perhaps if the test/lessons taught you how to drive in the real world - which it doesn't.

Tallbut Buxomly

12,254 posts

246 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
Doubt it as the practical test has little to do with real world driving. The theory test is easy enough and the HA test is simply pointless and crap as i see many more hazards on the test than i am allowed to click for.

Speedracer329

1,507 posts

207 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
Yes, absolutely.

t11ner

7,644 posts

225 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
I suspect that nine out of ten drivers with 10+ years experience would fail the practical test but that's largely because it is designed for people with zero experience.

I agree that we should all be retested every ten years but it would have to be done to different criteria to allow for more experienced drivers; my guess is that about three out of ten would still fail redcard


vonhosen

40,597 posts

247 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
samnmp said:
vonhosen said:
Fartgalen said:
As long as I remembered the '10-2' and feeding the wheel
You don't have to do that, retaining effective control & accuracy with your steering is what you 'have' to do.
I was told that if you don't hold ten to two as often as possible, they may fail you? or is that just a way to make sure that students will retain control etc?

Sam
http://www.dsa.gov.uk/Documents/practical_test/dt1/dsa_dt1_standard_operating_procedure.pdf

1.56 TECHNICAL UPDATE
Page 53

Benjybh

1,937 posts

209 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
Having passed my test not even three months ago, I'm not sure whether I'd pass it again - I now do a number of things habitually that the examiners wouldn't like; heel-toeing, double de-clutching (not very well I hasten to add!) and not using the 'push-pull' method of steering. My manoeuvring and general roadcraft has improved leaps and bounds, though.

GetCarter

31,300 posts

309 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
I passed my test 35 years ago and have done 4 advanced drivers courses and 50+ track days.

There isn't a chance in hell I'd pass the driving test tomorrow.

That doesn't make me a bad driver of course. I can't recite my 9 times table, but I can add up. Driving is all about adding up and getting the right answer, not about reciting tables.

LRdriver II

1,936 posts

279 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
Well, as I pilot I have to redo my test every 6 months (OPC/LPC sim check) to maintain my commercial rights hehe... so it should be possible for a driver to do the same I guess..

HAving said that, I think a driving test is as much a lottery as you risk having some muppet cut you up and the jobsworth examiner will fail you on that element. It should be more like my US drivers test... a pootle around the suburbs with a parallel parking attempt in a space fit for a dually Yank pickup truck whilst in my dinky Fiero

SSC!

1,849 posts

210 months

Monday 3rd May 2010
quotequote all
Not a chance in hell. I took the mock online test a while back and got a few questions wrong.