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Do we really know who’s driving on Britain’s roads? Perhaps not. While the country has a strong licensing system in place, media sources are reporting a huge rise in driving test fraud, meaning that it is likely that there are hundreds of licensed drivers on the roads today who have never passed a formal driving test. There are growing concerns that driver and passenger safety will be significantly compromised if police do not crack down on this type of fraud.
In 2014, 677 cases of driving test fraud were reported – that’s more than the figures for 2012 and 2013 combined – and that is, of course, just the reported cases. It is believed that many more cases have gone undetected and have managed to slip through the system.
How Are Drivers Cheating the System?
It’s actually all very simple – drivers are paying more experienced drivers to take their place on both the theory and practical driving tests across the country. This is usually done by finding somebody who looks similar in appearance, but there have also been much more elaborate plans, such as Guillaume de Vendrines who wore a creepy-looking latex mask to take the driving test on behalf of a man twice his age.
However, it’s just just drivers alone who are to blame for the rise in driving test fraud in the UK – examiners are at it, too. There have been a number of reported cases of driving test examiners accepting bribes to give learner drivers the go-ahead to apply for their full licence, despite not performing well enough to warrant a genuine pass.
What is Being Done to Tackle the Problem?
Although driving test fraud is being reported up and down the country, ‘hot spots’ such as Birmingham are already being identified and police are starting to step up their presence at theory test centres and driving test centres across the city. The government has also recently put a stop to allowing interpreters to attend the theory test with non-English speaking drivers after 20 percent of interpreter-accompanied tests were found to be fraudulent in 2008 and 2009 – the result of interpreters feeding the answers to the test taker.
Why is Fraud on the Rise?
There is no good reason for driving test fraud to be on the rise. British drivers are offered driving licences once they have shown that they have the skills and knowledge to be able to drive safely on the country’s roads – it’s something every single driver in the UK legally has to do. However, there are those who think they are above the law, and there are two poor reasons that are very common for faking a pass.
Firstly, many young drivers who are balancing an education, part-time employment, and busy social lives simply don’t want the hassle of learning to drive, or may struggle to find the time or the money to take lessons. Secondly, it has been claimed that the UK driving test has become more difficult since the introduction of the theory test back in 1996, and with even more proposed changes on the way, many drivers are not confident in their ability to pass.
Getting a licence without taking a test might seem like it’s funny, but this kind of fraud can ruin lives. Getting behind the wheel with no practical experience or understanding of the highway code is dangerous for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians, and needs to be stopped.
