Independent Driving And The Driving Test

From the 4th October 2010, a brief section of independent driving will be added into the driving test. The aim of this is to encourage test candidates to plan further ahead and rely less on the prompts from the Examiner. This could be done in one or both of the ways below:

1. The Examiner could give you 3 or 4 directions while parked at the side of the road. These would be backed up by a basic diagram. While on the move, if you forget where you are going, you can ask the examiner to repeat them, or clear up any confusion.

2. You may be asked to follow signs, possibly towards a place of interest or town centre. This will normally be done while driving, and the Examiner may change the direction a few times during the drive. Again, the examiner will offer help if needed.

The main thing to remember with this independent driving is that it's not a test of your memory, so ask the Examiner if you're not sure. Something else to keep in mind is that going the wrong way wouldn't be marked as a fault, so long as what you do is safe (correct use of mirrors and signals as well as safe position).

It's early days, but so far, candidates have commented that the independent part of the test feels more natural and easier than the rest of the test.