Passing a driving test in the UK has never been easy, but with increased costs and endlessly long waiting lists getting a licence is now harder than ever…
I have just taken my first driving test. I got three iffy majors and nine understandable minors.
I can accept my mistakes and will not dwell on them, but it seems curious just how many people are in the same situation.
A friend failed first time having 16 minors – one over the limit.
Annoying for all involved, both mentally and financially.
It seems today that to learn, and pass your driving test needs an endless supply of cash.
Driving lessons themselves can cost anywhere between £30 and £50 for an hour and at £39 for a 35 minute driving test – it’s far from cheap.
One blip or one idiot haring round a corner at you and that’s it, you’ve failed.
Fair enough, we need to be able to adapt and react to any situation. But to pay £39, plus driving lesson fees for that one day, a day when you’re almost guaranteed to fail, seems a bit steep.
However, I can see the argument for the cost.
Pricing high reduces demand for the test, so people should, in theory, only attempt it when they are ready.
So why not make tests cheaper for first timers and then steadily more expensive for future attempts?
A far fairer solution would be if instructors actually waited until their pupils were completely ready before booking them in for the test. But that’s easier said than done, with such endlessly long waiting lists.
Being 17-years-old and male, driving is an expensive luxury.
Premiums are astronomical due to my predecessors’ inane ability to waste their lives for cheap thrills in the first cars they drive.
My best insurance quote was around £1,300 for a year, with some companies quoting me as much as £4,200.
Statisticians will remind me of the probability of incident in my age and sex range.
To charge such a high price cannot be right.
But by law, we need insurance.
And the sad fact is that there is no real substitute for the mighty car.
All other alternatives are inferior, unreliable and overpriced.
So, would-be drivers are left in a conundrum.
Pay the high price for the convenience of a car or rely on Britain’s public transport system.
Tough choice. I commute by train daily to my higher education centre and in the last two weeks, six out of 10 trains were delayed, and of those, five by more than 15 minutes.
It’s ridiculous and wholly inconvenient when trying to be punctual.
Something needs to be done for the young person.
I will continue to attempt to pass my test, while waiting two months for another, but by then i should have ironed out any flaws.
With no car to practice in, due to absurd premiums, looks like more lessons!
I just wish the whole process of obtaining a licence was cheaper, and that first timers could take thier test with confidence and without having to expect the worst.
