Fewer driving test candidates in Britain will have to perform emergency stops as focus shifts to spending longer on faster and rural roads during tests.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is bringing in the changes from 24 November after a five-month trial of the switch at 20 test centres across Britain earlier this year.
Nearly half (48%) of crashes involving car drivers aged 17-24 where someone was killed or seriously injured between 2019 and 2023 took place on rural roads, a House of Commons Library briefing document shows.
The alteration is the latest in a flurry of changes announced recently as the government tries to tackle a driving test backlog of over 600,000.
– Reducing the number of stops learners must make from four to three.
– Decreasing the frequency of emergency stops from one in three tests to one in seven.
– Giving examiners the power to increase the length of independent driving – which can involve following a satnav, traffic signs, or both – to between 20 minutes and the full duration of the test.
The test changes come amid renewed calls for the introduction of graduated driver licenses (GDLs), a system designed to give new drivers a staggered approach to gaining full privileges on the road, such as motorway use restrictions or driving with a full car of passengers.
The DVSA said the need to find slower speed areas to perform stops during a test had limited the distance and number of roads that could be used in tests.
It hopes that decreasing the number of stops learners must make from four to three will provide greater flexibility when planning test routes.
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Also, the frequency of emergency stops will fall to one in seven tests, from one in three.
The changes will not alter the length of driving tests or the number available, said the agency.
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Amanda Lane, DVSA head of driver testing and driver training policy, said: “To keep all road users safe, it’s crucial that the practical driving test assesses learners on the skills required to drive in the real world.”
Roads minister Simon Lightwood said by “focusing more tests on higher speed roads” the move tackled one of the biggest risks for young motorists and would reduce collisions and save lives.
Shake-up to try tackle backlog
At the end of October there were 642,000 learner drivers in Britain with a future test booking.
The DVSA attributes this to an increase in demand and people booking tests much earlier than before.
Some 182,000 tests were conducted last month, an increase of 9% from 168,000 in October 2024.
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Last week, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced that only learners – not instructors – will be able to book slots.
Military driving examiners will also be mobilised to test civilians.
The Department for Transport said 36 defence driving examiners will conduct public tests one day a week for 12 months.
It said this would mean up to 6,500 more tests would be available over the next year at locations with the highest demand.
