What is the car driving test like where you come from?

Tweet

In the UK, the test to allow you a driving licence has been tightened up in recent years - it now includes a written theory test on top of the hour-long practical test in traffic. It is a long time since I took mine - more than 30 years ago - but I remember it well. It was in the English city of Salisbury and involved driving on roads all over the city - central streets, housing estates, and a short section outside the city. You know that the examiner is looking for certain things - proper control of the car, ability to use the gears correctly and make smooth changes, awareness of other vehicles and road users, giving proper signals, turning left and right correctly, proper use of roundabouts, etc. You must also perform certain set manoeuvres such as backing round a corner, the three-point turn, hill starts and the emergency stop. You know that certain faults will mean an immediate fail, so you are very careful not to perform them! On my test, we were on the way back to the test centre when I had to pull out at a T-junction on a hill. I managed to stall the engine! I thought I had blown it and was therefore amazed when I was given a pass. I made sure that I had the certificate in my hand before asking the examiner why he had not failed me for the engine stall. He said that he had already ticked all the boxes on his sheet, so I had already passed at that stage! I wonder what would have happened if I had crashed into a cyclist 50 yards from the test centre? Would I still have passed? It seems unlikely! At least I passed first time, and that is unusual - most people need at least one more test before they succeed. Maybe the fact that I was a late starter and was over 30 before I learned to drive might have had something to do with it. I have been told that driving tests in other countries are much less rigorous than ours. Do you agree based on your own experience?