In a House of Representatives debate on the Central Bureau of Driving Licenses (CBR), Infrastructure Minister Barry Madlener saw enough support to continue this plan, a spokesperson reports. During the corona crisis, hundreds of thousands of driving tests could not take place, creating a ‘reservoir’ of waiting students. The backlog has now been partially cleared, but in some places the waiting time is still fifteen to twenty weeks, Madlener wrote in a letter to the House last week. By temporarily canceling the interim test, the minister hopes to keep examiners free to administer of the practical exams. If they do not have to take interim tests for a year, this is expected to provide room for 75,000 additional driving tests. In the debate, there were calls for the measure to last as short as possible. A ‘hard blow’, said Hester Veltman (VVD) about the cancellation of the tests. Together with Olger van Dijk (NSC), she submitted a motion asking for the tests to be reintroduced by July 1 at the latest in places where waiting times are short enough. The goal is a waiting period of seven weeks. Interim test An interim test is a kind of test exam on the way to obtaining a driver’s license. During the test, students do the same things as during a practical exam, under the watchful eye of a CBR examiner. This way they can get used to the exam situation. It is also possible to obtain an exemption from the practical exam for special operations (for example reversing in a straight line, parallel parking or a slope test), if these are performed correctly during the interim test. For an interim test, the student must be at least 16.5 years old. He or she must also have passed the theory exam. ANWB and Bovag want something different. The Bovag and ANWB called on Monday not to scrap the interim test. These two parties see more in a different solution: allocating exam time earlier to driving schools with a good reputation. A so-called ‘recognition scheme’ must be introduced, in which a distinction is made on the basis of success rates. “Requirements regarding the pass rate must be part of such recognition. In this way, the CBR can sanction poorly performing driving schools. The general pass rate will therefore increase and the waiting times for the practical exam will automatically decrease,” said Bovag chairman Peter Niesink. .
Source: www.autoweek.nl
