With less than three months to go until the driving test changes, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has today, September 13, published new videos about the updated ‘show me, tell me’ driving test questions.
During the test, examiners ask candidates two vehicle safety questions - these are known as the ‘show me, tell me’ questions. Currently, both questions are asked at the start of the test but, from December 4, candidates will have to carry out the ‘show me’ question while they are driving.
DVSA Chief Driving Examiner Lesley Young said: ‘DVSA’s priority is to help you through a lifetime of safe driving.
‘Asking a ’show me’ question while driving will be valuable preparation for real life driving.
‘With less than three months to go until the driving test changes, it’s important learner drivers work with their driving instructor to make sure they can operate the in car-controls safely whilst they’re driving.
‘Combined with practice with an instructor, these new official videos will help you learn the skills you need to do these tasks.’
The two new videos released by DVSA show how to carry out these basic safety tasks. They will prepare new drivers for regularly carrying them out after they have passed their test, helping them keep their vehicle safe to drive all-year-round.
In the new test, the examiner will ask the ‘tell me’ question, where the candidate explains how they would carry out a safety check, at the start of their test, before they start driving. They include things like explaining how they would check the oil levels for the engine or how to check the tyres are legal and safe.
Then, later in the test, the candidate will be asked a ‘show me’ question while they are driving - for example, showing how to wash the windscreen and operate the wipers.
The questions test whether candidates can carry out the sort of everyday basic safety tasks drivers need to be able to do while driving.
The agency has also updated its ‘DVSA official guide to learning to drive’ book to include all the new elements of the practical test.
This edition will be available to buy from September 18 from www.safedrivingforlife.info/shop or most online or high street bookshops.
Carly Brookfield, chair of the steering group for national approved driving instructor associations (NASP), said: ‘Whilst in-car, on the road practice with a professional driver trainer is an important part of delivering safer drivers for life to our busy roads, we also recommend the use of supplementary learning resources such as ’how-to’ videos from authoritative sources in driver education.
‘DVSA’s new ’show me, tell me’ and other recent videos highlighting key developments to the practical driving test are a really helpful resource for learners - not only in preparing them for the new test, but also for a life time of safe driving.’
A video showing how the full test will work from December 4 is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI08tzIfo4c
If a candidate loses, control of the car whilst answering the ‘show me’ question it will result in a serious or dangerous fault, meaning the candidate fails the test.
A ’driving fault’ will be incurred by the candidate if they answer both the ‘show me’ and the ‘tell me’ questions incorrectly.
The four changes to the driving test are:
increasing the independent driving part of the test to 20 minutes
most candidates will be asked to follow directions from a sat nav
changing the reversing manoeuvres that are tested
answering a vehicle safety question while driving
More information about the changes is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/driving-test-changes-4-december-2017
The official DVSA guide to learning to drive book can be bought at https://www.safedrivingforlife.info/shop/product/official-dvsa-guide-learning-drive-book-book