# Driving Test



## firediamonduk (Dec 24, 2013)

I had forgotten how scary taking your driving test!!! Just took my part 2 driving ability test as training to be a driving instructor. that last time I waa crapping it so much was when I took my dribing test the last time!

Luckily I passed so only part 3 to go


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

They didn't have the written part when I took my test. It's all changed.


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## firediamonduk (Dec 24, 2013)

To be a driving instructor you have to pass a teory test, driving test and then an instructional test. I passed part 2 today but had just forgotten how nerve racking it is taking a driving test... even now being a confident experianced driver...


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## YoungOldUn (Apr 12, 2011)

John-H said:


> They didn't have the written part when I took my test. It's all changed.


I didn't have one either John. One thing which confounds me is that I am constantly told by the younger generation that the driving test is harder to pass now than when I took mine (1965) but the driving standards displayed by all of the people who have taken this 'Harder' test is totally appalling. I know that some of the 'Oldies' have bad habits and poor skills when it comes to driving but I think that they are in the minority compared to the 'Younger' drivers.


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## YELLOW_TT (Feb 25, 2004)

John-H said:


> They didn't have the written part when I took my test. It's all changed.


Didn't you take yours in a chariot John :wink: :lol:


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

Eye Jim but I also think it was ever thus too - hence high insurance premiums for young drivers. I do think there's more driving round with fog lights on these days and jumping red lights. Bring back public information films :wink:

Andy, that reminds me - _A funny thing happened on the way to the forum _


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## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

I did my car test under 2 years ago, but I already had the category A1 on my license from my bike test so I had no written or theory to take.


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## igotone (Mar 10, 2010)

I passed my driving test on a police standard driving course in 1968, but also had to pass written tests ( not ticking boxes ) on The Highway Code and on 'Roadcraft' the police driving manual. I'm constantly dismayed at the numbers of leaner drivers not making reasonable progress in the conditions. I was stuck behind one this morning who never got above 18 mph with no good reason at all. I'd have been bollocked rigid for that.


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## igotone (Mar 10, 2010)

You can take some example theory tests here....

https://www.gov.uk/practise-your-driving-theory-test

You need to be careful with some of the first aid questions but overall, it's pretty easy to get a pass mark.


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, Dozens of driving school cars in this area & how some of the driving instructors in the Pembroke area, managed to get the job, I'll never know. 
Pupils have no lights on in inclement cloudy weather, they are asked to stop in the most ridiculous places, no wonder driving standards are dropping pupils are not taught correctly in the first place.
Hoggy.


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## igotone (Mar 10, 2010)

Couldn't agree more Hoggy. There does seem to have been an explosion in recent years in the numbers of driving school cars and the standards of a lot of them are just deplorable.


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## YoungOldUn (Apr 12, 2011)

Hoggy said:


> Hi, Dozens of driving school cars in this area & how some of the driving instructors in the Pembroke area, managed to get the job, I'll never know.
> Pupils have no lights on in inclement cloudy weather, they are asked to stop in the most ridiculous places, no wonder driving standards are dropping pupils are not taught correctly in the first place.
> Hoggy.


There is a driving test centre about 1 mile from where I live and so I see all of the above regularly and have been sorely tempted to inform the instructor of their wrong doings. The one that really gets me is telling a learner to pull up at the most inappropriate place like opposite a road junction (there is a T junction at the end of the lane I live on), on a bend and adjacent to a road junction. I see these quite regularly and not with just one instructor/driving school.


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## firediamonduk (Dec 24, 2013)

I am learning to be an instructor with the AA who are pretty thorough to be fair, have heard lots of horror stories, especually about Red driving school... trouble is to train someone to be an instructor you only need to be an instructor so not really trained to train other people. All the AA instructor instructors have to pass further tests to be able to deliver the insteuctor training so in theory you get a better education


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## YoungOldUn (Apr 12, 2011)

firediamonduk said:


> I am learning to be an instructor with the AA who are pretty thorough to be fair, have heard lots of horror stories, especually about Red driving school... trouble is to train someone to be an instructor you only need to be an instructor so not really trained to train other people. All the AA instructor instructors have to pass further tests to be able to deliver the insteuctor training so in theory you get a better education


Strange you should say this then perhaps not as most of the bad examples I see are the RED driving school cars.


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## firediamonduk (Dec 24, 2013)

pretty much tge first thing I found out when starting to research becoming an instructor was not to go with Red. I believe it is one of those things that was started by a couple of enthusiastic instructors to provide good training then got carried away by greed and expansion and lost all of the reasons they wanted to start in the first place...


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