Tests For Drivers

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 15 June 1935, Page 14

Tests For Drivers

What an English Applicant Has to Do

All new applicants for driving licences in England are now required to pass the following tests for which* facilities are now being rendered 'available by the various licensing authorities. This is one of the provisions of the Road Traffic Act, 1934, and is. retrospective, inasmuch as at applies to all drivers who have not held a licence prior to April 1, 1934. The test requires the applicant to satisfy the examiner:—

1. That he is fully conversant with the contents of the Highway Code la new edition is now in preparation)* 2. As to his ability unaided to—(a) Start the engine of the vehicle, (b) Move away straight ahead or at an angle, (c) Overtake, meet or cross the path of other vehicles and make an appropriate course, (d) Turn right and left-hand corners correctly, (e) Stop the vehicle in an emergency or normally, and in the latter case bring his vehicle to rest at an appropriate part of the road, (f) Drive the vehicle backward, and while doing so enter a limited opening either to the right or the left, (g) Cause the vehicle to face in the opposite direction by the use of forward and reverse gears, (h) Give by hand or by mechanical means in a clear and unmistakable manner, appropriate signals at appropriate times to indicate the intended actions; and (i) Act promptly on all signals given by traffic controllers, and other road users.

3. Generally that he is capable of driving- .a motor vehicle, or a motor vehicle of the particular class to which the application relates, without danger to other users of the road.

For this test the applicant must supply at his own expense a motor vehicle in proper condition and of a type suitable for the purpose, and a test fee of 7s 6d will be charged. Pending a test, a provisional licence (fee 5s and valid for three months) will be granted subject to the following conditions : —(a) That the holder shall use it only when under the supervision of a person who has held a licence for at least two years and who, except in the case of a motor cycle or an invalid carriage, shall be present in the vehicle with the holder of the provisional licence; and (b) That the vehicle, while being driven by a person who is the holder of a provisional licence, shall display in a conspicuous position a plate 7in square carrying the letter “L” in red on a white ground. An applicant who fails to pass the test is ineligible for a further test for one month, bus may continue to submit to monthly tests (at 7s 6d each) until he passes, when he will be granted an annual licence and can remove the “L” sign from his car. An applicant who fails to pass a test has the right to appeal to the magistrate’s court for the division in which he resides, against, the decision of the licensing authority, and if it appears to the court that the test was not properly conducted, the court may decide that the applicant should be eligible to submit himself to another test before expiration of the month prescribed, and that the fee -for the first test be remitted.