The DVSA has launched new rules today, January 6, to crack down on practices that are worsening the driving test backlog and could lead to people having their accounts closed.
At the end of 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) outlined new measures to reduce waiting times for new driving tests, alongside Lilian Greenwood, Minister for the Future of Roads.
As part of this new drive, the DVSA will recruit 450 driving examiners across Great Britain, with these likely to start testing over the coming months.
New terms and conditions are being launched today which set out that only driving instructors or businesses that employ driving instructors can use DVSA services to book car driving tests.
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New DVSA rules are being introduced today which could see people’s accounts deleted
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The practical test business service agreement is only available for an approved driving instructor (ADIs), a motorcycle approved training body, a vocational driving instructor and a business that provides learner driver services and employs ADIs to provide driving tuition.
This service allows people to book driving and motorcycle tests on behalf of their pupuls, change, swap or cancel driving tests, manage their availability for car driving tests and manage the details of their business.
The new terms and conditions will outline that driving instructors and businesses must not book practical tests on behalf of learner drivers they are not teaching.
This is designed to stop instructors and businesses from using a learner driver’s details to book a practical test which they have no intention of using.
The DVSA stated that this practice is used to create a placeholder so the test can be swapped to another driver at a later date.
This unfair practice has contributed to long delays for new driving tests, which has caused motorists to wait months after the pandemic.
If anyone breaks the new terms and conditions, the DVSA are able to issue them with a warning notice, suspend their account or even close their account.
In the event that the DVSA closes an account, the user must use normal public services to book a test or call the DVSA to book or manage the test by phone.
Commenting on the seven-step plan, Lilian Greenwood, MP for Nottingham South, said long waiting times were preventing learners from getting behind the wheel.
She added: “No one should have to wait six months when they’re ready to pass, travel to the other side of the country to take a driving test or be ripped off by unscrupulous websites just because they can’t afford to wait.
“The scale of the backlog we have inherited is huge, but today’s measures are a crucial step to tackle the long driving test wait times, protect learner drivers from being exploited, and support more people to hit the road.”
As part of the new measures, the DVSA also launched a call for evidence to “review and improve” the driving test booking system to ensure learners can book tests “easily and efficiently”.
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The DVSA is aiming to reduce waiting times for new driving tests with the new terms and conditions
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The call for evidence clarifies current rules and processes with the goal of developing proposals to improve the booking system in future.
In the call for evidence, the DVSA acknowledged that any potential changes would take time to complete but would help make the system fairer for learner drivers.
