Parking manoeuvres, gear changes and hill starts are likely to be scrapped from driving lessons and tests in the next ten years, it has been revealed.
Experts from LeaseCar.uk have revealed five processes which learner drivers may not need to practice in the coming years.
It is expected that by 2030 driverless cars will be on the roads across Britain, meaning driving tests will be completely different to how they look now – or potentially eradicated all together.
Before this happens, however, tests and lessons will need to be amended to keep up to date with vehicle and road upgrades.
A spokesperson for LeaseCar.uk said: “As technology moves along quickly it means that vehicles will change to keep up with this, putting drivers under less pressure when they’re behind the wheel.
“There were big changes to driving tests inDecember 2017when manoeuvres such as reverse around the corner and turn in the road were removed from the syllabus, showing how the DVLA is hoping to keep up with the times.
“Although they are unlikely to update the test soon, these changes could possibly happen in the next ten years – depending on how quickly vehicles change.”
These is LeaseCar.uk list of what may be off the driving test in a few years:
- Parking
There has been a huge rise in the number of cars being built with parking assist technology, with rear view cameras being fitted almost as standard. There are some vehicleswhere drivers do not need to touch the steering wheel as the vehicle manoeuvres itself into the parking space, such as the Ford Escape.
- Changing gear
More people are beginning to buy automatics over manual cars, due to them being more reliable and having better performance statistics. This means that any new drivers may not need to learn how to change gears. Automatic car tests are available currently, but if you pass with an automatic license you cannot legally drive manual vehicles.
- Sat-Nav
A recent change means that learner drivers now have to follow satellite navigation instead of independent driving. However, if driverless cars do start being seen on the roads in the coming years, it’s likely that drivers will need to only type in the destination of their journey, and the car itself will work out the quickest route and follow its internal navigation system.
- Hill starts
Many vehicles are now fitted with hill start assist which means that handbrakes and the potential for stalling has been hugely reduced. Drivers in cars with hill start assist can now pull off on a hill in the same way they can set off on flat ground, meaning hill starts could soon be scrapped from driving lessons and tests.
- Emergency stops
Safety is an area of car technology which has improved massively and continues to do so. Cars will soon be able to tell if a vehicle in front has stopped suddenly, and perform an emergency stop without the drivers help. The vehicle will have a quicker reaction time than the driver, hopefully helping to make roads safer.