K53 driving test Many have called into question South Africa's dated K53 driving test.
Image: Blue Chevron
South Africa's roads are among the most dangerous in the world, with around 12,000 people tragically losing their lives each year to road carnage.
This has fuelled recent calls to revisit the K53 driving licence test in South Africa, with many suggesting a significant improvement in driver training and testing is needed in light of the low standard of driving behavior which we see every day.
The K53 driving test was conceived in the early 1980s as a project by the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research). It consists of a written test, which allows successful candidates to obtain a learner's licence, as well as a physical test that results in a full driving licence with no restrictions on newly licensed drivers.
Though based on the UK driving test of the time, the K53 is now four decades out of date.
Lunga Ntsendwana, founder of the BlueChevron Driver Training Academy, says the K53 driving test has its merits as a defensive driving system, because it teaches a driver the importance of situational awareness, anticipation and hazard identification.
However, he points out there are several flaws in the system, including a lack of mandatory driver training and an easy 'loophole' that sees many learners opting for Code 10 licences.
As for the test itself, there is an over-emphasis on mundane aspects such as parking and incline starts. If the test were to be reconfigured, Ntsendwana would recommend retaining the road module but changing the yard test:
"Instead of testing learners on their parking ability I would make it mandatory for all learners to demonstrate competence for braking, emergency lane change, skid recovery (over steer, and understeer)."
Eugene Herbert, CEO of advanced driving academy MasterDrive, fears the K53 test gives new drivers a false sense of confidence, giving them a piece of plastic, but failing to equip them for real-world conditions, such as sharing the road with other motorists at high speed and driving in the dark.
The K53 driving test has been described as 'entry level' at best.
Image: Supplied
"By and large the problem with the system is that it teaches a person what to do to pass a test. This involves a process of manoeuvres, such as checking your blind spot, your mirrors, the way you pull off, the way you park and so on, none of which really taught you about safe driving," Herbert added.
He said in an ideal world, newly licensed drivers would be subject to certain restrictions, such as night driving and the number of people allowed in the car, and then they'd be required to complete a certain number of hours in certain situations before obtaining a full driver's licence.
Corruption is also a key area of concern, Herbert adds, as many licences are fraudulently obtained.
In addition, up to 60% of new licences issued in South Africa are Code 10 licences, which are seen as an easier path, Ntsendwana highlights.
"Most learners choose this option because it is believed to be the best option for job seekers. In addition many learners are encouraged to choose this option in order to avoid parking in the test," Ntsendwana said.
"Unfortunately, driving schools try to avoid the high costs of operating a four-tonne truck by making learners drive very simple routes at such low speed that learners can pass the test without ever having gone over third gear or 40km/h!
"In addition, the yard test for Code 10 is so basic that a learner can pass the test with as little as five hours of training. To take advantage of this, unscrupulous driving schools offer 'Drive till you pass' packages with unlimited lessons and test attempts.”
Another problem faced by learners in low income areas is that while undergoing training they are required to share the vehicle with at least one or more learners during their hour of training, Ntsendwana added.
Furthermore many driving school trainers do not have any advanced driving qualifications or knowledge of defensive driving for that matter.
"In South Africa the test centres do not require a learner to provide a training log or to be accompanied by an accredited driving instructor. For this reason most driving instructors are not qualified at all."
Rob Handfield-Jones, Managing Director of Driving.co.za, feels it all went wrong in the mid-1990s when government removed the requirement for learner driving instructors to be qualified to a high standard.
“The industry very rapidly transitioned from a collection of top-class professionals whose pupils routinely got first-time passes, to a predomination of chancers whose own driving standards, charitably, are suspect,” Handfield-Jones told MyBroadband.
Ultimately the experts agree that the K53 still passes muster as an 'entry-level' test, which can teach a person to drive a car. But it falls short in equipping new drivers with the skills to respond in a dangerous or complex situation.
IOL
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