Tuesday, 13th January 2009

Driving licence tests

During the first nine months of last year, there were 8,761 applicants who took the driving test, of whom 1,931 passed on their first try, 1,199 on their second attempt and a declining number of others who tried more times.

Answering a parliamentary question by Anthony Agius Decelis (PL), Transport Minister Austin Gatt said that while an application was still valid, for a year, there was no limit to the number of times an applicant could take a driving test.

Between January 1, 2007 and October 28, 2008, there were 11,905 applications for licences to drive "normal" vehicles and 881 applications for licences to drive commercial vehicles.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Sunday, November 22, 2009. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Comments

L Micallef Capello (on 14/1/09)

I don't know why the examiners are doing all they can to fail student drivers during the tests. I have plenty of my friends failing for similar reasons David.

One of my friends, during his test was INSTRUCTED to drive on the Bus Lane at Sta venera. he was faild because he was not upposed to drive on a Bus Lane. Well if he didn't obey the instructur whe would have been failed for misobeying. More stories follow but I don't have enough space for them.

This is a farse.

Ironaically, I still encounter drivers who don't know how to park their car in a parking slot! Accidents kept on happening and unfortunately keep on happening. This is all done for money and nothing else.

Ray Pisani (on 14/1/09)

There is something drastically wrong if 64% fail the driving test more than twice. I hope the Government believes that such a rate of failure is unacceptable and that something should be done to rectify the matter. Either the motoring schools are not up to standard or the test is rigged against the driver. The expenses incurred, however, are real. Is there still some kind of racket going on, or is it a matter of "i don't care what it's costing you - it's just another tax"?

David Falzon (on 13/1/09)

According to the statistics below only 22% pass the test on their first try. Something is either wrong with the test or we have idiots as driving instructors!!
My daughter went for the test three times and failed in all three: Reasons given for failures:
First test: Instructed to park in front of a garage with ramp which obviously will distract any beginner.
Second test: Failed because she did not change gears as frequently as the examiner would have liked!!
Third test: Did not look into the side mirrors every 10 seconds.

Each test cost her (or rather me) 70 Euros and this besides what she paid the driving instructor.

Is this a racket or what?