{"id":2846,"date":"2018-12-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.booktheorytesttoday.com\/?p=2846"},"modified":"2020-04-17T20:22:11","modified_gmt":"2020-04-17T19:22:11","slug":"uk-driving-tests-hit-with-bias-claims-against-ethnic-minorities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/uk-driving-tests-hit-with-bias-claims-against-ethnic-minorities\/","title":{"rendered":"UK driving tests hit with bias claims against ethnic minorities"},"content":{"rendered":"

UK driving tests hit with bias claims against ethnic minorities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Figures released by the DVSA, following a freedom of information request, indicate that UK driving tests <\/strong><\/a>are racially biased against ethnic minorities. According to the data, pass rates among ethnic minority candidates are significantly lower than those of white candidates. The figures have been described as \u2018depressing\u2019.<\/p>\n

Racial equality groups labelled the pass rates for UK driving tests among people of colour as \u2018depressing\u2019, with DVSA figures showing that black women had the lowest driving test pass percentage (32%) compared to white men, who had the highest (56%). The figures cover 2008 to 2017.<\/p>\n

According to racial equality groups, the figures indicate that \u2018racism is at play\u2019, and while UK driving tests should be objective, it\u2019s clear that subjective rules are being applied. Meanwhile, racial equality groups say that UK driving tests are bias in favour of white men, who also tend to be the examiners.<\/p>\n

Female driving examiners<\/strong><\/p>\n

DVSA figures show that just 21% of UK driving examiners are women, and the percentage of ethnic minority examiners \u2013 both men and women \u2013 is even lower.<\/p>\n

Mark Winn, the DVSA\u2019s chief driving examiner, issued a statement quashing claims that UK driving tests are biased against ethnic minorities. He said: \u201cAll candidates are assessed to the same level and the result of their test is entirely dependent on their performance on the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe DVSA constantly monitors its examiners\u2019 performance, so they conduct and assess driving tests in accordance with the standards set. This includes the supervision of live tests,\u201d Winn added.<\/p>\n

No evidence that ethnicity affects pass rate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Neil Greig, the policy and research director of the charity IAM RoadSmart, said that there\u2019s \u2018no evidence\u2019 to suggest that race or ethnicity affects a candidate\u2019s driving skills, but was not able to explain why white people are more likely to pass UK driving tests than ethnic minority candidates.<\/p>\n

According to the data, the pattern of more white people passing than ethnic minority candidates was consistent across most test centres in the UK<\/strong><\/a>. White people were more likely to pass UK driving tests at 347 out of 350 test centres in 2016 \u2013 17.<\/p>\n

The data indicates that the biggest gap is in Basingstoke, where 49% of white candidates pass, compared to 27% of ethnic minority candidates. Basingstoke was followed by Barnsley, York and Worthing<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Book UK driving tests with us<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our service makes booking a theory test and practical exam easy, cost-effective and hassle free. Try us out today<\/strong><\/a> and once you\u2019ve booked, access all the resources you need to get you started on a lifetime of safe driving.<\/p>\n

Book Theory Test Today offers an intermediary service assisting clients with booking a UK theory test, or practical test, at test centres across the nation. The service also supplies resources to help you prepare for your theory test \u2013 Ready to take your theory test? Book your theory test online<\/a> today<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n

No. We\u2019re not affiliated with the DVSA or the gov.uk website, but that does not make us a scam. You\u2019re charged an admin fee to cover our staff costs and the process of booking a theory test or practical exam on your behalf.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UK driving tests hit with bias claims against ethnic minorities Figures released by the DVSA, following a freedom of information request, indicate that UK driving tests are racially biased against ethnic minorities. According to the data, pass rates among ethnic minority candidates are significantly lower than those of white candidates. The figures have been described […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[288],"class_list":["post-2846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-theory-test-today","tag-hill-start"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2846"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2990,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2846\/revisions\/2990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}