Green Flag Motoring Assistance Welcomes New Driving Test Standards

Motoring assistance provider Green Flag has welcomed Driving Standards Agency plans to incorporate basic car maintenance into the driving test.

Under the new rules, from September candidates will be questioned on basic car maintenance such as checking tyre pressures and tread depth, oil levels and brake fluid. Incorrect answers will result in a fault, and candidates with 15 or more faults will fail their driving test. The more stringent testing will bring the UK driving test in line with other European countries.

Green Flag spokesperson Nigel Charlesworth said: We welcome the new changes to the driving test, as our own recent research demonstrates almost 80 per cent of breakdowns we responded to last winter were due to poor maintenance, particularly battery problems. This suggests a need to raise drivers awareness of regular maintenance checks."

To find out whether motorists would make the grade under the new more stringent test, Green Flag offers its own questions for new drivers:

Q. How do you check the oil level?
A. Remove the dip-stick, wipe it clean, then replace and check again to see whether the oil level is between the minimum and maximum level.
Q. How do you know if the engine coolant is at the correct level?
A. Check the indicator on the header tank.
Q. How do you ensure the brake fluid is at a safe level?
A. Ensure the reservoir indicator is above the minimum mark.
Q. What is the minimum legal tread depth?
A. The minimum legal depth is 1.6mm, but its advisable to stay above this level.
Q. How do you know if your battery is in good condition?
A.   Have the battery checked. Most garages have a battery tester that will give a visual display to show the condition of the battery
More . . .

2/ Green Flag Motoring Assistance Welcomes New Driving Test Standards

Nigel concludes: We respond to around 1m calls for assistance every year, many of which could have easily been avoided if routine maintenance had been carried out. With the introduction of the written driving test still relatively new, learner drivers may view these changes as yet another hurdle to get over, but it could save them a lot of time and money in the future to be aware of regular maintenance checks."

Ends

Notes to editors:
 Green Flag Motoring Assistance provides roadside rescue and recovery to more than 4m customers, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

 On average, Green Flag reaches customers within 35 minutes (verified by research).

Press Calls
For further information contact Nigel Charlesworth or Melanie Denny at Green Flag on 0113 399 1427/1387 (out of hours 07711 964 615).
www.greenflag.com