Driving tests prove nerve-wracking for both candidates and examiners as figures revealing the number of physical and verbal assaults show.
More than 300 candidates and examiners were injured during driving tests in the UK last year, according to new research.
Five examiners suffered physical attacks and 209 reported being verbally abused as tensions in the car boiled over.
There was even one death from a heart attack although this was not attributed to a test according to the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) who released the figures.
The statistics also show that nervous or unprepared learner drivers made more than one million dangerous and serious errors during tests in 2010.
Mirror, signal, manouevre
The biggest mistakes were poor observation at junctions and use of mirrors. There were also more than 4,000 incidents of test-takers reversing dangerously.
Matthew Mycock, managing director of vehicle glass repair firm Autoglass, which obtained the figures from the DSA following a Freedom of Information request, said they were “alarming.
“They beg the very real question of how many candidates are being entered before they are fully prepared.
“Of course, people are going to make mistakes during the course of a test but it is worrying that so many dangerous or serious errors are happening, not only from the point of view of candidates and examiners but also other road users and pedestrians.”
The figures also showed 147 major injuries to candidates or examiners which required medical treatment from a GP or hospital.
There were also 192 minor injuries where the victim received first aid, self-treatment or no treatment.
Driving test pass rates
In 2010, more than 1.5 million practical tests were taken with a pass rate of 46.3 per cent. Men had a higher pass rate than women - 49.6 per cent compared with 43.3 per cent.
If you’re looking to pass your test then the Scottish islands are your best bet with an 82.9 per cent success rate on Islay in the Hebrides.
The test centre with the lowest success rate is Bradford Thornbury in West Yorkshire with just 29.4 per cent passing, followed closely by Wanstead in East London on 29.9 per cent.
Brits fear retaking test
It seems Brits aren’t confident in their ability to retake the test either.
A recent Autoglass poll found that six out of 10 motorists thought they would fail if they had to take their driving test tomorrow.
Three quarters confessed they had not read the Highway Code since gaining their licence and a fifth of those surveyed said they frequently break the Code.
Mycock said: “There needs to be a heightened awareness of the importance of the Highway Code so that it is not just something which is conveniently forgotten or ignored once somebody has passed their test.”
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