Many anxious learner drivers could be waiting over six months to book a test.
If they fail on the first attempt, as more than half of all learners do, they’re left not knowing when they can try again.
Learners must join long waiting lists, either through a cancellation or logging onto the DVSA website 6am on a Monday, when new tests are released.
They must wait on average over four months until they can take their driving test; many places in the UK have it much worse than this.
In July 2024, all but one of London’s 32 test centres was booked solid for the next 24 weeks, which is as far out as tests are available.
Elon Musk has today announced a fully self-driving car will be released before 2027, the problem of needing a driving licence is a problem that needs resolving for the considerable future.
Loveday Ryder, Chief Executive Officer of the DVSA, raised the point that many learners may now be failing their test due to anxiety about not being able to take another one for at least 4 months.
She said she understands the impact this is having on learner drivers.
This impact has caused many students to turn to third parties to try and book their driving test.
Some of these companies are using computer software ‘bots’ to book tests on the DVSA’s website. These bots scrape the DVSA website and hoover up last minute cancellations using the details given to them by a learner.
Some learners reported their details were used by a bot to book thousands of tests which were sold at a premium to other learners.
Loveday was asked how the DVSA was working to beat the backlog, she said: “In the past financial year alone, we have provided almost two million tests, the highest ever, and we continue to work hard to increase the number available by recruiting more examiners while tackling bots and those who are exploiting learner.
“To increase the number of available test appointments, we are conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays and buying back annual leave from driving examiners.
“We also deployed all eligible managers and administrative staff back on the front line to do driving tests.”
Renowned driving instructor Richard Flanders who has over 140 million views on his instruction YouTube account told me: “It is currently their priority to reduce the back log but they are not being very successful at solving the problem.”
The RAC foundation suggested one potential solution for tackling the problem could be to charge more too people who didn’t pass their test on the first attempt.
A breakdown of tests taken shared by the motoring research charity showed of 895,978 first-time tests taken in 2023-24 only 430,799 passed. 93,204 tests were someone’s 6th or greater attempt.
Richard Flanders disagreed with their suggestion, telling me if the price was raised this “would reduce the waiting list but at the expense of costing learner drivers more and pricing some out of learning to drive.”
I asked him what his suggestion would be for beating the backlog, he told me: “The back log is caused by panic buying, learner drivers and instructors are booking tests months ahead and holding onto them due to the waiting list.
“The waiting list is creating the waiting list.
“There are enough cancellations available at short notice which is how my pupils find their tests.
“Something that is not popular, but I believe it could work is to limit driving test bookings to 4 weeks in advance.
“That way people won’t book a driving test in 6 months that they are likely to change and cancel just days before the test date – which then becomes that short notice cancelation I mentioned.”
Jessica Bright, 33, of Brenchley Close, Rochester, took her first test during the pandemic in 2020, and passed on the fourth attempt in 2022.
She said: “The stress of not knowing when the next test would be is enough to put anyone off learning all together.
“I failed my first test because my leg was shaking due to the nerves, this was partly because I knew that the next one if I failed wouldn’t be for so long, which made it even more stressful.
“I think Richards solution of limiting driving test bookings to 4 weeks in advance could help, I wouldn’t have minded paying more, like the RAC suggested, but only if it wasn’t a massive price rise.”
A U-turn on the problem must be taken to return to the pre-pandemic wait times.