XN000022-1977-08-12 — Page 5

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 1977

NEW DRIVING TEST SYSTEM FOR PRIVATE CAR TO BE INTRODUCED

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THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT THE DRIVING TEST SYSTEM FOR PRIVATE CAR WILL BE REVISED FROM MONDAY (AUGUST 15) TO ALLOW CANDIDATES TO TAKE THE IR TESTS IN THREE SEPARATE PARTS.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT EXPLAINED THAT THE PRESENT SYSTEM COMPRISES A WRITTEN TEST ON THE HIGHWAY CODE (PART A) AND A COMBINED ROAD TEST WHICH INCLUDES BASIC MANOEUVRES (PART B) AND DRIVING IN TRAFFIC (PART C).

AT PRESENT CANDIDATES ARE GIVEN TESTING APPOINTMENTS FOR THE COMBINED ROAD TEST (PARTS B AND C) ONLY AFTER PASSING THE

RITTEN TEST (PART A). IF THEY FAIL IN EITHER PART OF THE COMBINED TEST. THEY WILL HAVE TO TAKE BOTH PARTS B AND C AGAIN IN ORDER TO QUALIFY THEMSELVES FOR THE ISSUE OF A FULL DRIVING LICENCE FOR PRIVATE CAR.

UNDER THE NEW SYSTEM, IF A CANDIDATE PASSES PART B OF THE COMBINED TEST AND FAILS PART C, HE WILL ONLY HAVE TO TAKE PART C THE NEXT TIME.

IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE REVISED PROCEDURE WILL RESULT IN A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF SUCCESS WITHOUT LOWERING OF DRIVING STANDARDS.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT IN THE PAST IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL FOR A CANDIDATE TO TAKE THE COMBINED TEST SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE GETTING A FULL LICENCE BECAUSE HE WAS UNABLE TO PASS BOTH PARTS AT THE SAME TIME.

HE SAID THAT THE PASS RATE FOR PART A HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY GOOD, RANGING FROM 93 PER CENT TO 96 PER CENT. HOWEVER, THE PASS RATE FOR THE COMBINED ROAD TEST, PARTS B AND C, WAS ALWAYS VERY LOW, VARYING BETWEEN 28 PER CENT AND 30 PER CENT. OF THE 89,500 COMBINED ROAD TESTS ARRANGED FOR PRIVATE CAR LAST YEAR, 52 PER CENT WERE FOR REPEATERS.

THE SPOKESMAN EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE NEW SYSTEM WOULD REDUCE THE LENGTHY WAITING TIME FOR PRIVATE CAR DRIVING TESTS, WHICH IS AS LONG AS TEN MONTHS IN KOWLOON.

HE ADDED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO CHANGE IN THE PRESENT FEE FOR A DRIVING TEST FORM, WHICH IS $150.

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