Some interesting comments which in turn has made for interesting reading.
I understand what people have said about retesting on theory and even practical, but it won't happen for a number of reasons.
Firstly, as some of you know, I am a subject matter expert for the DSA (part time job) and I am one of those responsible for writing the theory questions when taking their theory test.
The whole project is overseen by an external body who do not have a clue about the Highway Code, and when their errors are pointed out, they just shrug their shoulders. When my daughter took her theory test, she failed first time, and yet she answered the questions correctly, but the answers in the system were (subseqently found out) incorrect, and there are a lot of questions in the bank that are incorrect. Numerous efforts have been made by subject matter experts to correct it, but because of who runs it, you will have more success getting blood out of a stone.
That said, and for those of you old enough to remember, in the old days, when you signed your licence, you were also signing to say that you had read and would maintain your knowledge of the HC. Now it is a book that is only read for the test and then forgotten, because people assume that they know the contents.
Middle lane hoggers are a prime example. I used to stop people for driving in the centre lane when lane 1 was clear, and when I asked the driver what the HC said, they would come up with the standard slow, fast and overtaking lane answer
So, I would then pull out my copy and aske them to show me where it said that which was usually sufficient to cause at least an embarrased red face
As far as practical retests are concerned, this was looked at a number of years ago.
The idea was that advanced driving and riding examiners such as myself would be asked to conduct the retests of about 20 minutes duration, and because as advanced examiners we don't agree with the standards applied by the DSA, we would be more lenient and apply the code of safety rather than a strict code of MSM.
The DSA could not cope because of the cost of recruiting more examiners, ande the time it takes to train them, whereas we already have the experience and qualifications to be able to help out.
Also, the number of new L test candidates together with the retests meant that the DSA would have become really bogged down if they went it alone.
However, whilst the principals were being dicussed, some bright spark in Whitehall then pointed out that all drivers are voters, and if introduced, it would without doubt end up being votes lost big time, and so the whole idea was quietly dropped, which was a shame as i was looking to make some welcome extra cash from it
The problem is always that most drivers and riders pass their test discard their L plates and assume that there is nothing more to learn. Most drivers and riders cannot accept being told that they are a cr@p driver or rider, (the male ego in particular takes a bashing) which is why by percentage so few go onto take an advanced course.
The idea of being retaught how to drive or ride does not sit comfortably with the majority, and of course the older you get then it becomes even more difficult to take criticism on the basis that they have been driving for years and so they must be doing something right.
From an enforcement point of view, much of the problem here started when Chief Constables downsized or did away with their traffic police because they were not considered important front line coppers, even though we caught more crooks, saw more dead people and dealt with more sh1t than the average copper sees in a lifetime.
Some forces are now changing and going back to having front line traffic units, but all the professionla traffic cops we had when I served have now gone along with years of experience, and now, young traffic cops get a 3 week course (ours was over 16 in total), a 1 week traffic law course (we did 14 weeks) and then they are let lose, and most do not have a clue, or are nothing more tan posers in a flash car
The system is wrong here, but the liklihood of major changes occuring on a scale of 1 - 10 are about -15
