Driving Standards Agency news and updates

01/12/10 'Know your traffic signs' now on Directgov The Department for Transport’s ‘Know your traffic signs’ booklet is now available on Directgov. You can go to an individual section for images and information on traffic signs, signals and road markings. Or, you can download the booklet in full, free of charge. Why know your traffic signs? Traffic signs play a vital role in directing, informing and controlling road users’ behaviour in an effort to make the roads as safe as possible for everyone. This makes a knowledge of traffic signs essential. Not just for new drivers or riders needing to pass their theory test, but for all road users, including experienced professional drivers. Keeping up to date We live in times of change. Society, technology and the economy all play their part in changing the way we travel. New road signs conveying new messages and in new formats are introduced from time to time, so drivers or riders who passed their driving test a few years ago need to keep up to date or run the risk of failing to understand or comply with recently introduced signs. Having experience is all very well, but it’s not enough if your knowledge is out of date. 24/11/10 Driving tests and bad weather Some driving tests may be affected by winter weather over the next few days. The Met Office has forecast colder weather with snow showers becoming increasingly likely. Some parts of the country may have significant snowfall. Your driving test If you're due to take your practical test, follow the advice given on your appointment email or letter. You should call your test centre only if there is snow or ice in your local area on the day of your test. DSA do not conduct tests in bad light or bad weather conditions for the safety of the candidate and the examiner. Another appointment will be arranged automatically at no further cost, but compensation is not payable. A new appointment date is usually sent within three working days. This may take longer when there’s a period of prolonged bad weather. 04/11/10 DSA launches Facebook page for learner drivers •Page for learner drivers •Safe driving advice and tips •Visit facebook.com/mydrivingtest Facebook users can now get safe driving advice and keep up to date with changes to the driving test. The Driving Standards Agency has launched a page called 'I can't wait to pass my driving test' and wants learners to become fans. As well as getting advice and tips about learning to drive, fans of the page will be able to find links to: •detailed information about getting a driving licence, learning to drive, and the theory and practical driving tests •book their theory and practical tests using the only official booking service •read the Highway Code online •buy official DSA publications to help them prepare to pass their test 10/06/10 New version of 'Are you ready?' on YouTube A new version of the 'Are you ready?' video for the car practical driving test has been published on DSA's YouTube channel at youtube.com/dsagov. It shows how the test will look from 4 October 2010. The video includes information about the independent driving section of the test, and confirms that, from 4 October, car test candidates will only have to complete one reversing manoeuvre rather than two. The manoeuvre will be selected at random by the examiner from: •turning in the road •reversing around a corner •reverse parking (either on the road, or into a bay) The current version of 'Are you ready?' which shows how the test is now is still on YouTube. If you're a website owner, please feel free to put any of DSA's YouTube videos on your site. You're also free to put them on forums, blogs or social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. 29/05/10 Major road safety milestone as driving test clocks up 75 years of success The British driving test marks three-quarters of a century of helping keep people safe on the road when it turns 75 on Tuesday 1 June. The first car and driving licences were introduced in Britain in 1903. But it was not until 1 June 1935 - amid rising numbers of deaths as the popularity of the car increased - that a compulsory driving test was introduced. The first driver to pass was Mr J Beene and within a year, the number of deaths on the road had fallen by 1,000. In 1934, 7,343 people were killed on the roads and there were 1.5 million cars. The latest figures show there were 2,538 deaths on the roads in 2008 when there were around 34 million cars. Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said: “The driving test is not just a rite of passage, it has helped save thousands of lives on our roads. “The test and the learning needed to pass it are a vital part of giving drivers the skills they need to drive efficiently and safely. "High standards of driver training and assessment are an essential contribution to helping Britain's roads remain among the safest in the world." Trevor Wedge, Chief Driving Examiner at the Driving Standards Agency, said: “The driving test still retains some of the original elements included in 1935, such as turning in the road and reversing, but it is updated regularly. We continue to make sure that the test properly prepares drivers for the demands of modern roads. "This year will see the introduction of independent driving into the test, to help candidates demonstrate their ability to drive without step-by-step instruction. We believe that this added element will lead to better and safer drivers." Facts and figures: •the test became compulsory on 1 June 1935, after being introduced on a voluntary basis on 16 March the same year •the test was suspended during World War II and the Suez Crisis – examiners were put in charge of fuel rationing instead •until 1975, candidates still had to demonstrate hand signals •the theory test was introduced in July 1996