Independent driving will become part of the practical driving
test in Great Britain in October 2010.
It's tasking the candidate to drive for about 10 minutes, either
following a series of directions, following traffic signs, or a
combination of both.
To help the candidate be clear about where they’re going, the
examiner can show them a diagram too.
It doesn't matter if candidates don't remember every direction, or
if they go the wrong way - that can happen to the most experienced
drivers.
Newspaper reports
The claim in some newspapers that independent driving
would lead to a fall in the driving test pass rate is based on
early research where conditions did not reflect the eventual
design of the new element of the test.
Subsequent trials with a larger number of participants and more
closely reflecting the conditions in the planned new test showed
no significant fall in the pass rate.
Video shows independent driving
DSA has published a short video on its YouTube channel
explaining more about independent driving.
Watch
the video on YouTube.