Major driving test changes as DVSA puts brakes on emergency stops

Emergency stops on the practical driving test, once the bane of nervous learner drivers, could be almost phased out if a new DVSA pilot scheme is successful.

Under the new test regime being trialled for three months at 20 locations across the country, the number of tests where the examiner utters the infamous instruction to “stop as quickly and safely as possible” - in the old days often accompanied by a smart whack of the examiner’s clipboard across the dashboard - could be reduced to just one in every seven.

The emergency stop has been part of the UK driving test since its inception in 1935. Back then, being able to slow a vehicle safely with the feeble brakes and skinny tyres of the day was an essential skill, and a potential life-saver. Nowadays, the ubiquity of anti-lock braking and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems on modern cars may mean drivers no longer need to hone their skills for stopping safely. However, this is the first time the emergency stop element of the driving test has been reviewed since the fitting of ABS became mandatory on new cars in 2004.

While some might take issue with that suggestion that stopping quickly is no longer an essential driving skill, the DVSA is nonetheless moving its focus towards what it considers to be more real-world challenges such as driving on roads with faster traffic.

“High-speed roads, including rural roads, are some of the most dangerous for novice drivers,” the DVSA said in a statement. “We need to ensure that the driving test continues to test the skills needed to drive safely, and replicates conditions new drivers will face in the real world to keep improving road safety.”

The revised tests were rolled out on 6 May and will, the DVSA says, “increase the amount of time test candidates spend on higher-speed roads, including rural roads, where available, during a driving test.”

As well as fewer emergency stops, the new driving test routes being trialled at 20 of the UK’s 380 driving test centres, including Avonmouth, Bolton, Middlesbrough, Norwich and Wakefield, will also have a reduced number of scheduled stops, increasing the time spent using a sat-nav for independent driving. 

“Increasing the amount of time using a sat-nav allows a driving examiner greater route flexibility to make the test reflective of real-life driving, by providing situations that new drivers will face once they’ve passed their test and are driving independently,” the DVSA says.

Commenting on the changes, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Standards Nicholas Lyes said: “Despite the increased prevalence of autonomous emergency braking systems within vehicles, learning how to do an emergency stop is still an essential skill as part of being a safe driver. 

“However, given the limited time candidates will have in a practical test, focusing on other areas such as independent rural driving is eminently sensible. Almost 1,000 people were killed on rural roads in 2023, far higher than motorway fatalities. As our cars evolve to help keep us safe, it’s important the learning and testing process does as well.”

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