New driving test - and its effects on people with AS

From the 1st October there will be a new practical driving test incorporating independent driving. The independent drive part of the test will last about 10 minutes.

The candidate will be asked to do ONE of the following:

* Drive to a destination following traffic signs.

* Drive following a series of verbal directions - Diagrams will be shown to candidates given verbal directions.

* Drive using a combination of both of the above methods.

The diagrams may show a simple route path such as, Follow to a road end and turn right - at the next road end turn left- at the roundabout turn right.

During the Independent drive the candidate must still drive correctly as per the rest of the driving test including using correct observations, using mirrors correctly, obeying speed limits, road markings and signs etc etc, but completely independently, unaided and unprompted.

http://www.newdrivingtest.co.uk

Are candidates with AS less likely to pass this new practical test than the existing test?

We haven't even started looking into driving for my son in the future. I'm not sure that he will be able to drive a car on the road at all. He has attempted Karting a few times around a track with electric powered machines that have no gears. If there was a track closer to home then I would encourage him to use it often. I would much prefer that my son learned to ride a bike before he drives a car as he has no experience of using roads and negotiating junctions. I feel that a lack of experience using roads would impact upon his ability to drive safely.

My son passed both the theory and practical driving tests first time. He deliberately deferred driving until after he had finished his A Levels at college because he wanted to focus his attention onto studies and driving separately. It didn't upset him that other students at college were driving and passing their tests. He thinks that if he had started driving whilst at college it would have been frustrating for him and he would probably have failed both the driving test and to achieve A grades in his A Levels. After he finished college he was more relaxed and could devote his attention to driving without having to worry about anything else. He could ride a bike before he started driving so he had experience of using the road, judging speed and distance, and negotiating traffic. One thing he didn't have experience of was using gears because his bike is a BMX. Thankfully for him my car is an automatic. He started driving it at the outset then later took lessons with an instructor in a manual car.

This new test is supposed to include some risky situations such as turning right across heavy oncoming traffic, joining a dual carriageway from a slip road, and negotiating large multi-lane roundabouts such as those found at motorway exits.

There's a very difficult crossroads to turn right at a few miles from home. It's only legally possibly to turn right when the traffic lights are green but you have to cross the path of oncoming traffic which also flows at the same time. There is rarely a gap in this oncoming traffic to enable you to turn right and it's easiest, but also illegal, to turn right just as the traffic lights turn red a few seconds before the traffic lights for the across traffic turns green. I only ever attempt a right hand turn at this crossroads at times when the traffic is very light and I have told my son to avoid difficult or dangerous road junctions wherever possible even if means taking a slightly longer route.