Driving Test Sign ups

The Context

Working with the DVLA to reduce the COVID backlog of long wait times to take a driving test by encouraging those signing up for the test only to do so once they are confident they will pass (reducing the number of retakes, ands shortening the backlog).

The Research Questions

Why are students signing up to take their driving test, only to fail on the day? How can we make sure people only sign up once they are ready to pass the test?

The Method

Qualitative interviews using the ISM (individual, social, and material) model of behaviour change. Participants were asked about their experience learning to drive and taking their test. How did they decide they were ready to take the test, and how did confident did they feel? For those that failed, were they surprised? What would have made them more successful?

The participants

Driving instructors, driving students, and their parents. Those who had taken a test in the past six months, including an even split between those who passed and those who failed.

The Findings

Students and driving instructors both thought students were ready to pass the test at the time of taking it, but the criteria wasn't clear enough to be sure. Many felt it was just the luck of the tester you were matched with and the conditions while you were out. Most felt you could never really be sure if you'd pass (individual). Because it was so common to fail the first time, this wasn't considered a big problem (social), except for the current difficulty in scheduling a test.

Many of the reasons people took a chance on passing the test was due to the difficult situation of scheduling a test (material). Due to the very few number of appointments available, you had to schedule at test at three months in advance and then hope you were ready. Rescheduling the test meant getting to the back of the queue.

Reccomendations

We reccomended being more transparent about what would cause a failure on a driving test so that it would be more clear to a student adn their instructor if they would pass or fail.

We also reccomended some changes to the way test were scheduled. Some test slots should be reserved for those wishing to reschedule in a few weeks rather than losing their spot and going to the back of the queue.