Driving test examines under bonnet

Driving test candidates will be required to lift the bonnet and demonstrate a knowledge of basic car maintenance, under new rules announced today.

Candidates will be asked a series of questions on safety checks, including how to measure tyre pressure, and how to check oil, brake fluid and engine coolant levels.

Although the test will not require candidates to remove dipsticks or radiator and oil caps, they must demonstrate that they know how to do this.

From 1 September, examiners will be told to ask drivers to open the bonnet of their car and point to the relevant part of the engine.

Candidates can also be expected to know how to measure tyre tread, how to check the handbrake for excessive wear, and identify faults with steering and lights.

The Driving Standards Agency has set the new driving test to comply with a European directive that seeks to harmonise driving skill levels across the European Union.

Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands already test new drivers on basic maintenance.

Trevor Wedge, deputy chief driving examiner of the Driving Standards Agency, said it made more sense to raise the skill level needed to obtain a full licence given that drivers with less than a year's experience were five times more likely to have an accident as those who had been driving for three years.

"It will not be acceptable to say to the examiner, 'I would get my husband to do it'," Mr Wedge added.

"If a driver is pulled up by the police for having a flat tyre, it is no excuse to say 'my husband hasn't checked it'."

The national pass rate has fallen from 53per cent in the early Nineties to 44per cent last year.

Since the theory test was introduced in 1996, the driving test has become more rigorous. Under new measures, candidates are allowed to chalk up 15 faults before failing the test.

In 1999, the test was extended to allow time to scrutinise drivers' performance on fast roads.

From last November, candidates have had to sit a computer-based hazard perception test.

Meanwhile, the Government is considering further changes to the driving test including the introduction of a learner's logbook, which an instructor would fill out once a level of competence has been achieved.