22 April 2021
- Driving tests set to return in England and Wales this week1
- Theory test expiry causing issues with driving test booking
- 79% agree young people are overly disadvantaged in pandemic
- 457,716 practical driving tests cancelled due to pandemic2
As driving tests return in England and Wales on 22nd April, the AA Driving School is calling for more test slots to be made available to cope with pent-up demand.
Nearly half a million practical driving test have now been cancelled due to the pandemic2. In 2018/19 (the last full year of driving tests before the pandemic), 1,033,265 people aged 17-to-24 took their practical driving test – representing 60% of all tests taken3.
According to a snap AA poll, eight in ten people (79%) feel that young people have been overly disadvantaged by the pandemic4.
Drivers were asked if they believed young people have been worst hit during the pandemic because of disruption to driving lessons, as well as issues with exam results, school closures and unemployment.
The snap AA poll showed a further 62% agreed the government should extend theory test certificates which expired in lockdown. Theory test certificates expire after 24 months however the government has said it would be a ‘road safety issue’ to extend the expiry date for some learners, despite giving driving licences an extension in previous lockdowns5.
If a learner passed their theory driving test before the first lockdown in 2020, they would have missed out on more than six months of time to take driving lessons and book a practical driving test.
Robert Cowell, AA Driving School interim managing director, said: “Young people have faced several hurdles with starting their adult life in the last year. Many have faced disruption to education due to Covid outbreaks, frustration with securing employment and delays to learning to drive.
Learners are finding they can’t take their practical driving test now because their theory test expired in one of the lockdowns, something which was beyond their control
“Because of lockdowns thousands of would-be learners have also missed months of lessons and missed driving tests. The fact theory tests expire after two years has only brought more stress and urgency to the situation.
“Learners are finding they can’t take their practical driving test now because their theory test expired in one of the lockdowns, something which was beyond their control.
“The government should review their position on theory test certificates and save many young people this additional burden at a time when many already struggling.”
AA Driving School pupil Jack Hayes, 25, has a practical test booked at the Cardiff test centre on 22nd April and will be among the first learners in England and Wales to take it. Jack had been learning with an AA instructor prior to lockdown.
He said “When I heard that lessons were restarting only 10 days before my test was booked, I really panicked. I booked it back in October thinking there was plenty of time to learn before then.
“I feel lucky to be one of the first people given the chance to take it, but I’ve had much less time to practice and prepare with my instructor.
“My instructor has genuinely been brilliant and super accommodating fitting me as many lessons in her diary as possible before test day.
“There is also more pressure to actually pass than normal because the waiting list is so long before I can try to retake it and more money would have to be spent on lessons to stay test ready.”
In Scotland, driving lessons and theory tests are set to return on Monday 26th April and practical driving tests will be back from Thursday 6th May.
In line with government guidance, the AA Driving School and BSM suspended all driving lessons in the UK in lockdown. Visit theaa.com/driving-school to book lessons or enquire about instructors.
3Driving test statistics (DRT) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) table DRT0203
4624 AA members were polled on the AA’s Passenger Seat survey platform between 17th March and 1st April 2021.