DRIVING AWAY WITH THE FACTS

Most of us take for granted that the rules of the road have always been there, but you may be surprised to find that many laws and regulations were only introduced in the last 100 years.

The first huge change for drivers was when the driving test was introduced in 1934. At the same time the 30mph speed limit was established for towns and villages.

The MOT was introduced in 1960.

It wasn’t until 1965 that the 70mph national speed limit was introduced, with the breathalyser test following shortly after in 1967.

In 1969 a separate driving licence group for automatic vehicles was introduced.

1990 saw examiners give candidates a brief explanation of faults committed during the test.

The pass plus scheme was an initiative introduced in 1995.

The year 2000 saw pupils able to complete the theory test via touch screen.

2002 saw talking on a mobile illegal whilst driving and also a change to the theory test, with the newly formed hazard perception component.

2010 was the year independent driving was introduced to all practical driving tests.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “It is interesting to see how the driving test and driving regulations have advanced over the years. One fact that shocked me was – that on average a driver spends two weeks of their entire lives waiting for traffic lights to change.”

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below: