Making the Grade

MAKING THE GRADE LICENCES AND DRIVING TESTS IN GREAT BRITAIN Though public transport can get you from one place to another, there's nothing like driving your own car. But before you hop behind the wheel, you have got to pass the test. The number of people taking their driving test and registering new vehicles has changed over time, as can be expected with the proliferation of personal cars. But recent years have shown a slight decline in numbers. We explore driving-test pass rates and these changes in registrations over time. MOTORING TRENDS OVER TIME YOUR OWN PRIVATE VEHICLE DRIVING LESS EACH YEAR As private vehicles become more commonplace, a greater percentage of households have access to a car or van. And since 2002, more households have had access to two or more vehicles than no Though there are more drivers on the road, the average distance travelled by car each year is down. The average car drove roughly 1,200 fewer miles in 2010 than 15 years earlier. access at alI. AVERAGE ANNUAL MILEAGE PERCENT OF HOUSEHOLDS OF FOUR-WHEELED VEHICLES WITH ACCESS TO A CAR OR VAN 1995/97 E 1951 2010 14% 75% H 2010 H LICENSED AND REGISTERED MORE LICENSED DRIVERS In the mid-1970s, fewer than half of those eligible actually held a full driving licence. By 1998 that number had grown to roughly 71 percent, and has maintained roughly the same since then. PERCENTAGE OF ELIGIBLE POPULATION WITH A FULL DRIVING LICENCE 1975/76. 2010 48% 73% NEW VEHICLES EVERY YEAR Though there are millions of new vehicles registered for the first time each year, the number peaked in the early 2000s. Other than 2009, the latest data for 2010 is the lowest since 1996. TOTAL NEw Vehicles REGISTERED 1951 ЧЧ.000 2010 2.400,000 MAKING THE GRADE: THE UK DRIVING TEST NUMBER OF TEST-TAKERS SLIPS RECENTLY The total number of applicants taking their driving test in Great Britain has fallen in recent years compared to a high in 2005/06, though the number of test-takers in 2010/11 was up slightly from the year prior. DRIVING TESTS CONDUCTED IN GREAT BRITAIN MILLION 1.5 MILLION MILLION 0.5 MILLION 2008/81 280V82 2002/83 2003/04 2804/85 2005/86 2806/87 2087/88 2808/89 2009/18 2018/11 MALE VERSUS FEMALE PASS RATES On average, fewer than 50 per cent of the test-takers pass the driving test in Great Britain. The pass rate has varied slightly over time, but men have a consistently higher pass rate than women. DRIVING TESTS PASS RATE BY SEX 68% MALE 58% Чах 38% FEMALE 28% AVERAGE 18% Вх 88/01 01/02 02/03 03/84 84/85 05/06 06/07 07/88 88/09 09/18 18/11 SOURCE: TRANSPORT STATISTICS GREAT BRITAIN DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT STATISTICS Confused.com