Happy Birthday, Driving Test! 英國駕駛考試－看BBC學英文

The Test is More Expensive and Complex than Ever

英國考駕照有史以來最貴最複雜

For 75 years, three words have dominated the lives of many young Brits. They are: mirror,

signal, manoeuvre.

These are the processes all drivers should perform when they make a turn, go round a roundabout or overtake a vehicle. Learners hoping to pass their driving test need to prove that they understand the importance of these actions before they can throw out their L plates and head for the highway.

This summer the British driving test celebrates its seventy-fifth birthday. It's often described as one of the most frightening tests we face.

It is an ordeal that doesn't come very cheap nowadays. Taking the test in 1935 cost just 37.5 pence (4 yuan); now candidates can expect to pay £93 (989 yuan).

The test is also harder than ever. In 1935, the pass rate was 63%; now it's 43%. In recent years, the DSA – the organisation that oversees the driving test – has looked for ways to assess different aspects of what makes a good driver.

In 1996, the three-point turns, hill starts and dreaded parallel parking exercises of the practical test were supplemented by a theory paper. This test quizzes candidates on different aspects of the Highway Code and hazard perception.

Now the DSA has announced another change. Candidates will drive for ten minutes without detailed instructions from the examiner. DSA's chief driving examiner Trevor Wedge said the aim was to measure a candidate's "ability to drive safely while making decisions independently".

However, drivers will not be penalised for getting lost. "It's not a test of navigation and candidates won't be failed for going off route," Mr Wedge said.

No doubt there will still be whingers. The BBC has learnt that in 2009 there were 1,889 complaints about examiners, of which just 51 were upheld.

Complaints that were rejected included "Candidate crashed during test - claims examiner distracted" and "[Candidate] says examiner took her on busy roads during rush hour, which was unfair".

Someone else seemingly failed to understand the nature of an emergency stop when the complaint was filed that an "emergency stop was conducted 'without warning'".

Glossary 辭彙表 (收聽發音, 請單擊英語單詞)

to signal 打燈（開車時打出信號）
manoeuvre移動
roundabout 環島，環形交叉路口
to overtake超車
L plates見習駕駛員牌照
to head for somewhere朝... 進發
ordeal嚴格的考驗
three-point turn（汽車的）三點轉向
hill start半坡起步
parallel parking平行泊車

practical test 路考
the Highway Code（英國）高速公路規則
hazard perception潛在威脅
to penalise someone處罰某人
navigation導航
whinger氣憤抱怨的人
to uphold a complaint受理並解決了投訴
to crash 撞車
to be distracted受干擾
emergency stop緊急停車

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