Responsible for your practical driving and theory tests, the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has just released its latest business plan covering 2022-2023.
The plan’s main goal? To reduce the waiting times for driving tests.
The agency claims the average waiting time is currently 14 weeks (though some instructors say that it’s more like 24).
Whatever the case, the DVSA wants to bring the waiting time average down to nine weeks by December 2022 to help drive down the frustration levels of learner drivers.
Actions already taken
The agency says it has already introduced several measures to help achieve this. These include:
- Overtime, weekend and public holiday testing
- Additional tests carried out by those who do not normally conduct tests as part of their day job
- Tests conducted by recently retired examiners who have been invited back
- Tests conducted by examiners who have been recruited since April 2021.
Because of these and other measures, the DVSA says over 350,000 extra tests have been conducted since April 2021.
Mind the gap
However, the agency admits that reducing the waiting times is going to be a tough target to hit as there are currently over 500,000 of you waiting to take your driving test.
To deal with the problem, the DVSA says it will continue to try and source new driving examiners – including temporarily contracting in experienced driving assessors to qualify as driving examiners – but admits sourcing new examiners has been difficult because:
- The jobs market is extremely competitive currently, especially in some UK areas, meaning attracting the right talent in the first place can be a challenge
- The demographics of the DVSA’s current examiner workforce means many have or are planning to retire in the near future, so new examiners are replacing them instead of adding to the workforce
- The standards expected of examiners are high, which has seen new entrants either failing the driving examiner training course – or leaving the course because it’s too tough.
To tackle the latter issue, the DVSA says it is reassessing its driving examiner course with the aim of addressing the parts of the training programme that entrants have found so challenging.
Not that recently qualified driving examiner Emily Butler needed any help; at the age of 23, she has become the DVSA’s youngest car driving examiner.
Further plans
Away from waiting lists, the DVSA has also set itself other targets to hit for 2022 through to 2023. Targets include:
- Increasing the satisfaction of car practical test and theory test candidates with the service they received to 70%
- Increasing the percentage of candidates who are offered a theory test appointment within 28 calendar days of booking (at their preferred test centre within the service period) to 95%
- Making greater improvements to the DVSA’s customer centre and service by March 2023
- Improving call handling times with a target of handling 50% of calls within 120 seconds.
Good news then?
We will need to see if the DVSA’s plans actually tallies with reality by this time next year. To read the full business plan, head here.
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Main photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels