A few Drving test Stats

It is exactly 70 years today since the very first person passed a driving test in the UK at the cost of 7 shillings 6d. He was none other than Mr J Beene, hopefully a better driver than TV’s Mr Bean.

Since then, there have been a staggering 87 million tests carried out in Great Britain. But in the early days of motoring there were few rules or regulations – in fact, France was the first country in the world to introduce driving tests in 1893, along with the first registration plates and parking restrictions. By 1934, the death toll in Britain alone was 7,343, despite the fact that there were only 2.4 million vehicles on the roads, 1.5 million of which were cars.

“Motoring in general is vastly different now compared to 1935. Our job is to rise to that challenge by matching the level of the driving test to the rigours of driving today on Britain’s roads,” says Gary Austin, Chief Executive of the Driving Standards Agency. “It has been an incredible 70 years, and we look forward to ensuring safety on our roads through the test for drivers of tomorrow,” he adds.

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling agrees, pointing out that recent changes to the driving test, including the New Drivers Act and the introduction of the written theory test, ensure that new drivers fully prepare for their driving career, not just to pass a test. “The driving test has changed dramatically since the first Mr Beene passed his test,” he says. “Today, we have one of the best road safety records in the world – the number of road casualties is at its lowest for nearly fifty years, but more needs to be done – and will be done – to make roads safer.”

Indeed, even in 1935 – the very first year that driving tests were introduced – the number of road deaths began to fall dramatically, and since then the test has been adapted to reflect advances in car design and changing road layouts. Arm signals for example – when people would literally stick their arm out of the window to alert other drivers to the direction in which they were going to turn – were thankfully removed from the test in 1975. And since 1996, drivers and motorcyclists have had to pass a written theory test before they are able to take the practical driving test. But it’s not only changes to car and road design that have changed the face of the driving test over the years – world events have also had an impact, with driving tests actually being suspended for the duration of World War Two and again during the Suez Crisis.

The first fatal accident occurred in Harrow On The Hill, London, on February 25 1899.
The DSA now conducts 1.3 million car tests and 1.4 million theory tests a year.
32 million people in the UK currently hold driving licences.
The current pass rate is 43%.
Currently in the UK, you must be 17 years of age to obtain a provisional licence to drive a car or ride a motorcycle. The only exception is if you are in receipt of a full disability allowance, when you can obtain a provisional licence at the age of 16.
Since July 1, 1996 the ‘Community Model’ driving licence has been established by European Economic Community (EEC), with all member states now required to use this as a basis for their national driving licence.