Expecting to Fail the Driving Test

A survey conducted by the Goodyear Driver Academy, for the benefit of Young Driver Education Week, has revealed almost three quarters of parents feel they would fail their driving examination if forced to take the test again.

Despite this, over 40% of parents are willing to help teach their kids or friends how to drive before they take their test.

An astonishing 37% of existing drivers also admit that there are new rules and driving regulation in force that they simply do not understand. However, whether this is the fault of the driver or the Government enforcing new legislation without clarifying them is debateable.

Speaking as Chief Examiner for the Driving Instructors Association, Mike Frisby defends middle-aged drivers while acknowledging there may be a problem in this area, saying: ‘Many parents are not bad drivers, they simply fail to update their knowledge and fall into bad habits over time, increasing their risk when driving.’

The survey also looked in more detail at driver habits, which may influence children’s views on what is and is not acceptable behind the wheel as they grow up. For example, it has been shown 45% of parents have eaten while behind the wheel and nearly one quarter have read text messages while driving rather than pulling over or waiting until they reach their destination.

Yet more worrying responses include 10% of drivers choosing to drive through red lights on occasion.

With all these bad habits in mind, and parents’ self-awareness on these issues, it might be expected they would be reluctant to pass on bad habits to their children. This is not necessarily the case though, as the survey reveals.

Almost half of parents refuse to believe their driving misdemeanours could be picked up by their children, while one third believed children simply would not pick up these errors until at least 14 years old.

Unsurprisingly, Frisk disagrees, stressing parents should be more mindful of their child’s ability to absorb negative driver patterns well before they’re able to learn to drive. He said:

‘[Parents] need to be aware of the very influential role they play in young driver education, and that their children while passengers in the car, can pick up on their habits from a very young age

‘By consciously displaying good driving habits and behaviours, it is more likely that their children will become safer drivers in the future.’

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