LEARNER drivers are being urged to make sure they are prepared for the new driving test which comes into force on December 4.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) says the changes to the driving test will help make sure drivers have the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to drive safely on Britain’s roads.

The four changes to the driving test that learner drivers need to know, include:

• Increasing the ‘independent driving’ part of the test from 10 to 20 minutes

• Asking candidates to follow directions on a sat nav as an alternative to following road signs

• Replacing current manoeuvres such as ‘reverse around a corner’ with more real life scenarios, such as driving into and reversing out of a parking bay

• Asking one of the two vehicle safety questions while the candidate is driving, for example, asking candidates to use the rear heated screen

With around half of candidates passing their driving test, DVSA is urging learner drivers to make sure they’re prepared for taking either test if they have a test booked in the next month.

Other reasons for not passing a driving test include; candidates cancelling their test or the DVSA cancelling tests due to bad weather or examiner absence.

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DVSA chief executive Gareth Llewellyn said: “DVSA is committed to helping you through a lifetime of safe driving.

“Making sure the driving test better assesses a driver’s ability to drive safely and independently is part of our strategy to help you stay safe on Britain’s roads.

“It’s important learner drivers are prepared to take the current or new-style driving test. A good driving instructor should be teaching learners the skills needed for both tests.”

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: “It is important that we continue to develop our training and testing regime to ensure that new drivers are well prepared to handle the responsibility of becoming independent motorists. In trading the time taken previously for low speed manoeuvres for more driving at higher speeds the new test should provide a much better assessment of a candidate’s real-world driving ability.”

The DVSA said that in 2016, more than 800 new and inexperienced drivers were killed and seriously injured in road collisions. The agency says the new driving test will play a crucial role in reducing these numbers in the future, and it also wants to reduce the 3,850 accidents involving these drivers on high-speed or rural roads.

Assessing learner drivers on high risk roads during the longer independent driving part of the driving test, is aimed to make sure they have the skills they need for a lifetime of safe driving. The skills needed to take either test are the same, learner drivers will just be asked to demonstrate them differently.

Th DVSA said learner drivers should make sure their driving instructor is preparing them to take both tests and that they’re confident in taking the current or new test. Many learner drivers practise in a family or friend’s car, before taking their driving test so they can experience different driving conditions. DVSA is also encouraging any accompanying drivers to make sure they know what the changes to the test are, to help learner drivers carry these out safely. Full details of the driving test changes are available at the DVSA website.

Those supervising a learner driver must be; over 21, be qualified to drive in the type of vehicle the learner is driving e.g having a manual car driving licence if supervising a learner in a manual car, have had a full driving licence for three years.