Newslink October 2021

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(37.5p). Compulsory testing was brought
in on 1 June 1935 for all drivers and
riders who started driving on or after 1
April 1934: around 246,000 candidates
applied for a test, and the pass rate was
63%. Between 9 and 16 half-hour tests
were conducted each day by 250
examiners.
Those passing the motorcycling test
did not need to take another test to drive
a car. The test was conducted by the
examiner positioning themselves at a
point where they could observe the
motorcyclist’s riding, such as beside a
common or in a city square.
In the case of sidecar outfits or
three-wheelers, the examiner might have
accompanied the rider.
Examiners were responsible for
handling the booking of driving tests.
They met candidates at pre-arranged
locations such as car parks or railway
stations because there were no test
centres. Anyone buying a driving licence
must put ‘L’ plates on the car and
eventually take a driving test to get their
full licence
1937: Provisional licences were brought
in for heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers.
1939-45: Driving tests were suspended
on 2 September 1939 for the duration of
World War 2. During the war, examiners
were redeployed to traffic duties and
supervision of fuel rationing.
HGV licences and tests were
suspended on 1 January 1940 because
of World War 2.
1946: Testing resumed on 1 November
1946 following the end of World War 2
the previous year.
1947: The Motor Vehicles (Driving
Licences) Regulations placed
motorcyclists in their own licence group,
but testing remained virtually unchanged
until the 1960s.
On 18 February 1947, a period of 1
year was granted for wartime provisional
licences to be converted into full licence
without passing the test.
1950: The pass rate for the driving test
was 50%.
1956: The test fee doubled from 10
shillings (50p) to £1 on 19 October
1956.
Testing was suspended from 24
November 1956 during the Suez Crisis.
Learners were allowed to drive
unaccompanied, and examiners helped
to administer petrol rations. Testing did
not resume until on 15 April 1957 after
the crisis had passed.
Provisional licences were no longer
stamped with ‘passed test’ from 15 July
1957.
The 3-year driving licence was
introduced on 1 September 1957 under
the Road Traffic Act 1956. The fee for a
replacement licence, if lost or defaced,
rises by 150% from 1 shilling (5p) to 2s
6d (12.5p).
1958: From 1 March 1958, provisional
licences are valid for 6 months.
1959: A new examiner training facility
was acquired at Stanmore training
school, near Heathrow. Until then,
examiners were trained ‘on the job’.
1961: From 1 July 1961, learner riders
were restricted to machines of no more
than 250cc capacity in order to deal with
the high number of motorcycling
fatalities.
1962: From 1 April 1962, people who
had held more than seven provisional
licences were required to take a driving
test. If they failed to do so, the licensing
authority could refuse a further
application for a licence.
1963: The Road Traffic Act 1962
permitted riders to ride motorcycles of
more than 250cc after passing their test.
New grouping systems were introduced
for driving tests and driving licences and
a distinction was made between the test
of competence and the test of fitness.
Mopeds were placed in their own vehicle
group for driving test purposes.
1964: A voluntary register of approved
driving instructors (ADIs) was set up
under the Road Traffic Act 1962. To
become an ADI, you had to pass
stringent written and practical tests.
1965: Centralised licensing system was
set up at the new Swansea Driver and
Vehicle Licensing Centre (DVLC), taking
over licence issue from County/Borough
councils.
The application form for a driving or
motorcycle licence was revised from 1
May 1965. The medical standard for
eyesight was changed. The distance from
which a driving test candidate must be
able read a number plate was changed to
67 feet for 3 1/8-inch-high characters.
• See years from 1965-present in
November’s Newslink
Top 10 driving
test facts
The car driving test was first taken
in 1935, meaning it is now 86...
not long before it gets a
congratulatory telegram from
Buckingham Palace! Here are some
of the top 10 driving test facts:
• Mr Beere was the first person to
pass the driving test in 1935: he
paid the grand total of 7s 6d
(37.5p) to take the test.
• There were no test centres in
1935 so you had to arrange to
meet the examiner somewhere like
a post office, train station or town
hall.
• The test was suspended for the
duration of World War 2 and didn’t
resume until 1 November 1946.
• In 1975, candidates no longer
had to demonstrate hand signals.
• The theory test was introduced
in 1996, replacing questions about
The Highway Code during the
practical test.
• Driving was much more
hazardous when the test was
introduced. In 1935 7,343 people
were killed on Great Britain’s roads
despite the fact that there were
only 2.4 million vehicles in use.
Nowadays there are over 30 million
vehicles on the road; our roads
death toll is around 1,800 a year
• Candidates could book their
theory test online for the first time
in December 2001.
• The driving test pass rate in
1935 was 63 per cent – compared
to arounf 46% now.
• 1969 saw the first driving test
set for an automatic vehicle.
• Since 1935 more than 50 million
tests have been taken.
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