Learner driver tallies 20 attempts at east London test centre

Ian Weinfass
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
5:09 PM

Taking a driving test can be memorable – but there have been many to forget for the driver who took their 20th attempt at passing in the area.

The unlucky driver has the highest number of attempts at the Station Lane centre in Hornchurch, the nearest test centre for Dagenham postcodes since January 2007.

But he or she was not completely alone in repeatedly booking tests, with the second and third highest belonging to drivers who went through 19 and 17 attempts each before passing.

The figures, disclosed by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) under the Freedom of Information Act show that 16 candidates have sat more than 10 tests at the centre.

Driving instructor Chris Bancroft, from Streetwise driving school, hasn’t taught any of the record-breaking learners, but said: “We don’t know the actual reasons behind all the failures, but sometimes it’s just that the pressure of the driving test gets to people. Sometimes they just want it so badly that they make a mistake.

“Sometimes it’s the fault of other road users being inconsiderate to the learner.

“All you can do for someone who has failed a few tests is try and lift their spirits.”

He added: “I do kind of salute people who take more than 10 tests though, it shows they’ve got persistence.”

The figures only give a partial picture, however, as the DSA was only able to provide data where the last driving test was taken, rather than all previous ones.