Do you know the history of the driving test?

Do you know the history of the driving test?:

The driving test has drastically changed over centuries and now, with another set of changes being pushed through for new and young drivers, we thought it'd be a good idea to show you all how things got started. Before I go there, below is a list of the green paper currently being proposed to government, it includes:

1. Enabling learner drivers to take lessons on motorways, and perhaps during adverse weather conditions or during darkness to encourage greater practice prior to taking a test.

2. Increasing the existing probationary period from two to three years for a new driver’s licence to be revoked if they receive six or more penalty points.

3. Making the driving test more rigorous to better prepare learners to drive unsupervised.

4. Incentives for young drivers to take up additional training after passing their test.

So, when driving tests were brought to the United Kingdom, can you imagine they weren't mandatory. Drivers were given minimal instructions and to top it off there were no rules to police driving tactics, in comparison to the highway code we have now, introduced in 1931. Road safety looks much different now too, in the 1930s there were over 2 million vehicles on British roads and over 7, 000 casualties. Nowadays, there’s almost 30 million vehicles on the road but half the casualties. 

In 1930, the first driving tests were introduced in the UK. However, these were only for disabled drivers, whose licenses were only valid for 12 months. Five years later, voluntary tests were made optional for all drivers. It was not until June 1935 that driving tests became compulsory for all

Driving tests were suspended throughout the UK in 1939 due to the disruption of the  Second World War. Testing began once again in 1946 as the post-war period led to the establishment of various driving schools throughout Britain

It was suspended again during the Suez crisis when learners were briefly allowed to drive unaccompanied. Up until 1975 learner drivers had to demonstrate their ability to use hand signals. Other manoeuvres included being able to perform a three-point turn and reverse around a corner. Further changes included the requirement to be able to reverse into a parking space, which was incorporated into the test in April 1991.

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