Three-quarters of UK drivers think they’d fail their driving theory test

Three-quarters of UK drivers think that a lack of Highway Code knowledge would cause them to fail their driving theory test if they had to retake it today, a AA Driving School survey has found.

The AA asked 10,232 of its members about retaking their practical driving and theory test. It found that 86 per cent of them would be confident in passing the practical test and 58 per cent were confident in passing the theory test.

In comparison with men and women, only 50 per cent of females were confident in passing their theory compared to 62 per cent of males. Compared with the practical, it found that 82 per cent of women were more confident compared to 88 per cent of men.

Additionally, the respondents were asked the most common cause of failing either their theory or practical driving test. Some 75 per cent said that it was a lack of knowledge of the Highway Code, followed by a fifth saying it was their lack of road sign knowledge or rules of the road.

When being asked about the practical driving test, 34 per cent said it would be their nerves that would get to them, but 56 per cent said that they’d picked up too many bad habits since they had passed their test originally.

Camilla Benitz, managing director of AA Driving School, said: “Knowledge of the Highway Code is fundamental to driving and with so many people believing their knowledge isn’t up to dae is really concerning, not just for their ability to pass a theory test but for them being safe on the roads now.

“We know that after people pass their test they tend to slip into bad habits, however, it’s alarming that over half of those who responded thought their bad habits would cause them to fail a test now.”