Kim Ablewhite from Morton passes the new driving test and here is her feedback
Big congratulations are in order for Kim who passed her driving test at Grantham this morning. The new format driving test only came into force 2 days ago so this was the first driving test undertaken by BIG TOM using the new structure. This was Kim’s second attempt having had a go at the old style driving test just a week ago so she is in an ideal position to judge the difference between the two driving tests FROM THE PERSPECTIVE of the pupil. Here is her feedback:
“The new test is definitely not any harder than the old one, if anything I would say it is easier now. Personally I think it doesn’t have quite the same feel as an “exam” any more because I was spending more time following the sat nav. I would recommend to others to spend some time training with BIG TOM using the sat nav because that definitely helped me today. There was a section of road today where the DVSA sat nav was indicating the maximum speed limit was 60mph but I’d noticed it was actually 40mph; when I mentioned it to the examiner she just said “You do what you think is right”. I think it’s a good example of not relying too heavily on technology as it can sometimes be wrong. If I had blindly followed the speed limit on the DVSA sat nav I would have failed the driving test. My manoeuvre this morning was the new one of pulling up on the right side of the road, doing a little straight reverse and then moving off again which was all ok; there was traffic around, but it wasn’t too busy. For me, I found the hardest part was the examiner who was so strict and different to the examiner I had before. The examiner I had before was chatty and really put me at ease, but this examiner this morning really made me feel quite tearful despite me having passed my driving test. I’m a little bit older than most who take driving tests, but I reckon if I was 17 or 18 I would definitely have got very upset and not been able to handle that driving examiner I had today.”
Tom Ingram who was Kim’s driving instructor at BIG TOM says:
“Firstly, I would say “WELL DONE” to Kim – I know this means so much to her and her family and I’m so pleased for her. She has put in a great deal of effort and today she deservedly saw the result of her training. So much of this comes down to the combination of not just technical driving ability but confidence too – and I think many people under-estimate this point. I find it very interesting to note from Kim’s comments that with all the chatter about the differences of the format of the two driving tests the thing that she has found to be actually most affecting her was the conduct of the driving examiner. I observe the vast majority of my customers’ driving tests and I can confirm that some driving examiners are better at creating a calm environment around the driving test to enable them to see the true, actual driving ability of the candidate than others. This is of course a matter for the DVSA who are providing a public service and I would simply comment that ALL candidates should have the right to EXPECT to receive the same level of service no matter which driving examiner conducts the driving test. I feel passionately about this point because the method any given driving examiner conducts a driving test really ought not to affect the outcomes but it is clear from the feedback of Kim that she feels that is the case. Putting all that to one side though, congratulations go to Kim and I wish her many years of safe driving”.
