13th March: Driving tests introduced (UK)

Driving tests were introduced in the UK on this date in 1935. Here are 10 things you didn't know about the dreaded driving test.

1. For the first few months, the test was voluntary, but became compulsory on 1st June 1935.
2. Testing was suspended during World War II and during the Suez Crisis in 1956 to allow examiners help to administer petrol rations.
3. According to government statistics from July to September 2014, 370,995 people took the practical car driving test during the quarter. 47.5% of them passed. This rate has remained stable over the past few years.
4. 437,863 people took the theory test in the same period and 52% of them passed.
5. It is a myth that driving examiners are trying to fail as many people as possible or that they have quotas and have to fail a certain number of people per month. It's easier for them if the candidate passes - when someone fails they have more paperwork to do.
6. Stalling during the test isn't an automatic fail, either, as some people believe. As long as it's not at a particularly dangerous place, or the result of a driving fault, and if the candidate doesn't panic and commit a serious driving fault while getting going again, and it doesn't keep happening, it's still possible to pass.
7. The most common reason for failure is driving too slowly. Other common reasons are lack of observation (eg forgetting to check mirrors and blind spots), misleading signals, lack of steering control and incorrect positioning are all in the top ten.
8. Statistics show that men are more likely to pass than women. For men, the pass rate is 50% and for women it's 43%.
9. The more times a person takes the test, the more likely they are to fail. Figures from 2011 show a 30 per cent pass rate at 10 attempts, 16 per cent at the 12th attempt and a 100 per cent failure rate at 15 attempts. Fourteen appeared to be a lucky number for some learner drivers, with a pass rate of 50 per cent.
10. In terms of age, 17 year olds have the highest pass rate of any age group. Thirties and forties have a slightly lower pass rate, but the runner up in the age related pass rate table is women in their 60s, who have a 60% pass rate.

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