Only 13% of potential drivers in the period from April 1 to July 20 of this year passed the license exam the first time, which is half the average for 2020. In total, 1.15 million practical exams were held in traffic conditions … Thus, after the change in the testing rules, only 148,000 candidates passed it immediately, Kommersant reports, citing a message from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) of Russia.
The new rules for examinations in the traffic police came into force on April 1. Instead of the stages “playground” and “city”, which were earlier, the authorities introduced a unified practical exam. Now the skills of future drivers are tested immediately in urban traffic conditions. At the same time, the route along which the candidate will be sent is unknown in advance, so it is impossible to prepare for it. This was the main problem for the test participants, the Ministry of Internal Affairs explained.
“Poorly trained candidates demonstrate disorientation when driving in constantly changing traffic conditions, which provokes typical mistakes,” the department said.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs also named the main mistakes of the examinees. So, most often they do not provide the established advantage to other road users, do not turn on turn signals or do it at the wrong time, and also cross a solid lane line while parking in a parking lot. The police noted that it is not yet possible to assess the impact of changes on accidents in Russia, however, according to statistics, in the first half of the year the number of accidents caused by drivers with less than a year’s experience decreased by 16.2% – to 1100.
Tatyana Shutyleva, President of the Interregional Association of Driving Schools, added that the number of successfully passed driving license exams has also decreased due to the introduction of a new system for assessing drivers. So, before it was possible to score 10 penalty points on the “site” and in the “city” in total, whereas now for a single exam – only five. “Moreover, points are given for completely frivolous, natural mistakes for a beginner,” she added.
The traffic police expects that the number of successful tests will subsequently increase as driving schools are restructured to prepare candidates according to the new rules. The Ministry of Internal Affairs noted that it is too early to talk about the completion of the adaptation of educational institutions and candidates to the new format.
The department added that they plan to amend the regulations, but “conceptual changes” should not be expected. Clarifications, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, are needed “in terms of the actions of the examiner and the candidate for drivers when checking individual maneuvers and actions.”
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