How has the driving test changed since its formal introduction 90 years ago? Grace Kennedy finds out.
THE thought of being able to climb behind the wheel of a car and set off without first passing a driving test is hard to contemplate.
Learning to drive is now a rite of passage, but the drivers of the 1900s, perhaps beetling around in a Ford Model A or a Peugeot Type 54, required only to buy a licence at the Post Office for their “horseless carriages” at a bargain five shillings.
By the 1930s, however, concerns were raised about the high number of accidents on the roads and, in 1931, the first Highway Code for drivers was published.
The Road Traffic Act 1934 saw the introduction of the driving test in March 1935, initially voluntary, with compulsory testing by June that year.
Some 246,000 candidates applied to take the test and, as there were no formal testing stations, drivers had to meet their examiners at random locations such as railway stations.
Of those candidates, 63% passed. Among them was a Mr R. Beere, who was the very first person in the UK to pass a driving test, costing him seven shillings and sixpence.
Training of examiners became formalised in 1959 when a new examiner training centre opened in Stanmore, Middlesex, and four years later a register of Approved Driving Examiners (ADE) was set up, requiring strict exams and testing to earn the title of ADE.
The register was initially voluntary, and it was not until 1970 that it became a requirement for all driving examiners to be registered.
As cars and road systems have changed, so, too, has the driving test developed.
In 1969 a separate test for automatic cars was introduced, and in 1975 candidates no longer had to demonstrate arm signals as vehicles now had indicators.
In 1996 the written theory test was introduced, and by 2001 candidates could book this online.
Now, the practical driving test contains five parts and takes 40 minutes.
