§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the percentage failure rate in 1997 for car driving tests; and of the total failed, what percentage were attributed in whole or part to(a) speeding and (b) driving too slowly. [27475]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 January 1998,Official Report, column 549. Statistics for overall pass/fail rates for the remainder of 1997 will not be available until March.
An analysis of faults committed on a sample of 420,000 tests conducted between 1 June 1997 and 31 January 1998 shows that inappropriate use of speed was wholly or partly the reason for a candidate being failed 0.5 per cent. of tests. The computerised fault analysis system does not record whether a candidate was assessed as driving too quickly or too slowly.