Revealed: how many learners pass their driving test first time at Hartlepool test centre

Most learners passed their driving test first time last year at Hartlepool test centre, according to the latest figures.
Most drivers pass their test first time in HartlepoolMost drivers pass their test first time in Hartlepool
Most drivers pass their test first time in Hartlepool

Data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency shows 54% of would-be motorists passed their practical test on the first attempt there in 2018-19.

This was higher than the average first-time pass rate for centres across Great Britain, 47%.

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Learners taking the test can pass with up to 15 minor faults, such as not checking their mirrors at the right time.

Of the 1,397 people successful on the first try in Hartlepool test centre, 64 star pupils aced it with zero faults.

Overall, the centre conducted 4,838 tests between April 2018 and March this year, with 2,620 (54%) people passing.

Men performed strongest – 59% went on to pass compared to 50% of women.

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Under government plans, new drivers could be banned from travelling at night as part of proposals to improve road safety.

The rules, announced by the Department for Transport, restrict what motorists can do on the roads months after passing their test.

It is unclear for how long the measures would be in place after someone passes their test.

The move follows statistics showing one in five new drivers are involved in crashes within their first year behind the wheel.

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Joshua Harris, director of road safety charity Brake, said these 'graduated licences' would help protect younger drivers.

He said: "Young drivers are involved in nearly a fifth of all fatal crashes on our roads, a deeply troubling figure hugely disproportionate to the number of young licence holders.

More robust licensing would give them the "necessary tools and knowledge" to drive safely, he added.

Speaking earlier this year, former road safety minister Michael Ellis said: "We have some of the safest roads in the world but we are always looking at ways to make them safer.

"We want to explore in greater detail how graduated driver licensing, or aspects of it, can help new drivers to stay safe and reduce the number of people killed or injured on our roads."