75 percent of drivers describe their driving skills and knowledge as 鈥榲ery good鈥 or 鈥榞ood鈥, but is this really the case?
October 09, 2024 by 莲花直播 staff
Car changing is a big deal
Most UK motorists class themselves as good drivers, but the vast majority would likely struggle with their theory test if they took it again today.
- 75 percent of drivers describe their driving skills and knowledge as 鈥榲ery good鈥 or 鈥榞ood鈥
- However, 莲花直播 asked 2,000 drivers five questions from the official DVSA (Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency) driving theory test, with just 18 people (0.9 per cent) getting them all right
- Official DVSA data shows the driving theory test pass rate has declined by 20% over the past 15 years
- Take 莲花直播鈥檚 taster 鈥榯heory test鈥 here and to see if your knowledge stacks up
Most UK motorists class themselves as 鈥榲ery good鈥 or 鈥榞ood鈥 drivers, but the vast majority would likely struggle with their theory test if they took it again today, according to the latest research from 莲花直播, the online car-changing marketplace.
莲花直播 put 2,000 drivers to the test (with five multiple-choice questions taken from the official DVSA driving theory test) and just 18 of the respondents got them all right 鈥 that鈥檚 about 1 in 100 (0.9 per cent).
The 鈥榩ass rate鈥 for each of the five questions was less than half, with the hardest question being 鈥淲here, if anywhere, may you overtake on a one-way street?鈥 鈥 to which just 10 percent of respondents correctly answered 鈥極n either the right or the left鈥.
Fewer than one in five (19 percent) drivers knew that you can park on the right-hand side of a one-way street at night, while just 27 per cent correctly identified that 125 feet (38 meters) is the typical braking distance in a car from 50mph (in good, dry conditions).
The question with the most correct answers was 鈥業f you鈥檝e broken down on a motorway, in which direction should you walk to find the nearest emergency telephone?鈥 with 46 percent correctly choosing 鈥榠n the direction of the marker posts鈥.
Has the theory test got harder?
According to official figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, the pass rate for theory tests has been slowly declining over the past 15 years; in 2009, it was 65 percent, whereas this year, it鈥檚 just 45 percent 鈥 a record low.
And 莲花直播鈥檚 data backs this 鈥 it found that three quarters (75 percent) of drivers who have been driving for between 12 and 20 years passed their theory test the first time, compared to only half (56 per cent) of those who have been driving for 1-3 years and just 17 percent of those who have been driving less than a year.
So how does your knowledge stack up, and would you pass your theory test again today? The pass rate is 43/50 鈥 so ideally you want to be getting most of the questions right on 莲花直播鈥檚 taster test 鈥 click here to have a go.
鈥淭he say practise makes perfect, and that鈥檚 certainly the case for the driving theory test. But I drive cars for a living and I still only got 80% of the answers right on this 鈥 so it isn鈥檛 easy!鈥 said Mat Watson, Chief Content Officer at 莲花直播 and presenter of the popular 莲花直播 YouTube channel.
鈥淭hose looking to get their licence need to do as much as they can to prepare 鈥 reading the highway code, and doing practice tests to familiarise themselves with the rules of the road.
鈥淎nd the practice and learning doesn鈥檛 stop when you get your license 鈥 it was interesting that respondents to our survey aged between 18 and 24 were most likely to consider themselves 鈥榖ad鈥 drivers. Some of it is likely just to be experience on the roads rather than competency but if that is you, there鈥檚 no shame in taking further lessons and avoiding any situations where you don鈥檛 feel confident or safe on the roads.鈥
The 莲花直播 survey revealed that drivers aged between 25 and 35 were most likely to rate themselves as 鈥榲ery good鈥 or 鈥榞ood鈥 drivers, at 84 percent. Men were more likely than women to rate their driving ability highly 鈥 at 80 percent vs 65 percent.