According to data uncovered by the BBC, 15 people were caught in Essex during 2024 pretending to be a learner and taking the test for cheating candidates.

The figures are even worse for the theory test with 127 incidents of cheating unearthed at Essex theory test centres in the same year. Nationally, BBC research reveals that there were 2,059 incidents of cheating recorded by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in 2023-204.

Long waits

According to the Driving Instructors Association’s Carly Brookfield, a key reason why people are cheating so much on their driving test is due to the five-month wait for a test.

“They’re thinking ‘if I don’t pass first time, it’s going to be a very long wait until I get my next driving test slot,’" says Brookfield. “They are calculating that risk and thinking it’s worth cheating to try and ensure they pass.”

Troubling times

The problem with cheating is that, yes, it’s illegal – but it also means there could be people on our roads who have never passed their driving test and don’t have the proven skills needed to be a safer driver.

“If somebody is cheating their way to a pass, that is risky behaviour in a person that’s going to manifest itself in risky behaviour on the road.”

• Carly Brookfield, Driving Instructors Association to the BBC

What next?

The DVSA says that it’s committed to tackling fraud to ensure road users are protected from cheating, unqualified drivers.

“We work with driving examiners and test centre staff across the country to help them better identify candidates suspected of cheating and explain how to report these cases,” the DVSA’s Director of Enforcement Services, Marian Kitson, told the BBC.

Banged up

The punishment for being caught impersonating in a test – and for those who hired them – range from community orders up to prison sentences.

However, those already caught in cheating in Essex have yet to be prosecuted – though the DVSA states that many of the cases are still in the process of being investigated.

“Our dedicated counter-fraud team carries out robust investigations into suspected fraud, working with the police to bring fraudsters to justice.”

• Marian Kitson, Director of Enforcement Services, DVSA, to the BBC

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