Well, today sees new sections in the Driving Test, requiring the candidate to show or tell the examiner where or how they would perform safety/mechanical checks on the vehicle.
you can find details at
www.dsa.gov.uk/driving/changes_to_practical_test.h...m
You can find an interactive quiz version on the BBC News site at
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3197645.stm
but it's so poor I was driven to complain to the Beeb about it.
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Borasport,
Agreed about the BBC version....incredibly poor photo used for the example. Hope the real thing isnt so poor!
Ian L.
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Hope the real thing isnt so poor!
Ian - It's part of the practical test, so the real thing is your car... (or your driving schools)
I have to grow old - but I don't have to grow up
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Could really confuse the examiner by turning up in something nasty like a Ford Th!nk :)
Erm, I can locate the battery...
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Or an A2.
Examiner - open the bonnet and show me the coolant level.
Learner - that's a bit difficult it can be done, but you'll have to hold it once it's removed!
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9 out of 9 :-)
For point number 10 name that car.
Tip - it could be one of 2 cars, so either would do - extra brownie point for the engine sizes to match each car too!
Jonathan
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borasport,
I fully agree with you about the BBC site.
Not only the photography, but just LOOK at the text.
What, exactly, is a one pence coin?
Do they mean a penny?
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Awful picture - surely you would top up the radiator coolant level through the expansion tank, which isn't an option.
Looks like a Vauxhall Corsa 1.0 or 1.2 12v
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Isn't that "Mazda" on the camcover?
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Yes it has
I've sussed exactly which car it is now, so only one engine to choose from.
Anyone got any ideas, reasons why would be good too.
Jonathan
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Looks like a Mazda MX3 to me? Colour gives it away.
Do I win£5?
Wrighty
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We have a winner!
It is the mx3.
It could have equally have been a 323F, but the headlights (and colour) gave it away.
The other car it could have been was the xedos 6, but the colour, headlights and ht leads are wrong.
Jonathan
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Nice to see my anorak is as well fitting as ever!
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Well, I can only see 3 plug leads. Mazda didn't make a triple, so it's likely to be a V6.
A transverse one at that, with the engine in front of the driver.
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Well, I can only see 3 plug leads. Mazda didn't make a triple, so it's likely to be a V6. A transverse one at that, with the engine in front of the driver.
There are 3 red leads going up to the rear bank.
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Back to the driving test though...
I can't see the point in this addition - anyone with a brain knows about simple maintenance, and if it all goes wrong, you call the breakdown people to rescue you.
What I'd like to see added to the test are things like:
1. Compulsory skid pan session.
2. Motorway driving
3. What to do if you have an accident
4. Driving in major towns and cities
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Anyone with a brain knows about simple maintenance
Yes, but what about the other 99% of candidates?
you call the breakdown people to rescue you.
Most people would rather do the preventative maintenance if they realised they could.
How about a recently divorced lady I know who's had her Volvo 940 for ten years and put petrol in it for the first time, her husband and teenage daughter having done it previously.
1. and 2. would cost money; and as learners aren't allowed on the motorway at the moment would require a compulsory post-pass lesson.
3. is probably a very good idea. 4. works well if you live in a major town or city; but if your local test centre is 50 miles or more away from a big town it's difficult to incorporate that in a test. You could just reduce the number of test centres but I don't think that would really work.
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Good grief - I got 9 out of 9! :)
HF
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That's good, because someone else has nicked your full name.
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So I noticed! I will take this opportunity to point out that I do not drive a Rover and have not suddenly become much more knowledgable about the workings of cars ;)
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Back to the driving test though... I can't see the point in this addition - anyone with a brain knows about simple maintenance, and if it all goes wrong, you call the breakdown people to rescue you. What I'd like to see added to the test are things like: 1. Compulsory skid pan session. 2. Motorway driving 3. What to do if you have an accident 4. Driving in major towns and cities
Too late
To address 4:
Red Ken has already thought of that. From 2004 ALL driving tests are to be conducted along Tottenham Court Road and across Westminster Bridge and back over Vauxhall Bridge, a large area will be cleared to allow leaners to check their dipsticks in that location. This will ensure that the cc quotas are met and the average speed of motorists is reduced*.
* tongue in cheek posting.
Jonathan
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I can't see the point in this addition - anyone with a brain knows about simple maintenance...
I'm sure plenty don't. I have two thirds of a brain and I'm no expert. Neglecting these things can be dangerous. I have a friend who was driving around in a car with a dodgy indicator. She didn't realise that it clicks more rapidly when it's not working and had obviously been driving around with it like that for some time. She has more than one degree so probably has more than half a brain. As the man from the DSA said on today's Today programme: look how many cars you see with faulty lights. The item can be heard at tinyurl.com/lv5r (RealPlayer required).
It does reintroduce an element of the test that was abolished with the theory test: being asked questions by the examiner. Admittedly, getting one wrong isn't necessarily a failure: it just adds to the list of things that contribute to a failure.
I'd agree on your other ideas although they would be hard to arrange in rural areas.
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It may remove stories such as:
'I bought a new car and after 6,000 miles, 18 months before it's first two year service, the oil warning light came on and a mile later the engine blew up. The garage refuse to accept responsibility as I failed to check the oil, this is unjust and I intend to sue them for all they've got.'!
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