Have we forgotten how to cram or have the traffic rules become too complicated? Almost every second learner driver in Germany failed the theoretical driving test for cars last year. With a failure rate of 49 percent, there was an increase of three percentage points and a new negative record, the TÜV association announced on Tuesday in Berlin. Across all driving license classes, there was a new negative record of 42 percent failure rate in the theory test.
The 42 percent failure rate is an increase of ten percentage points compared to 2014. 30 percent of the learner drivers failed the practical test, an increase of four percent compared to 2014. Overall, the number of theoretical driving tests last year reached a new high of around 1.97 million, and the number of tests rose by eight percent compared to the previous year. The number of practical exams rose slightly by one percent to around 1.77 million.
However, more than every third theory test – 37 percent – was a repeat test. In the practical exams, every fourth one was a repetition. Richard Goebelt, head of the vehicle and mobility department at the TÜV Association, explained: “Repeated failure is the rule rather than the exception.”
The failure rate for theoretical repeat exams was 54 percent, even higher than for the first exam. In the practical tests, 40 percent of the learner drivers failed even when repeated. According to TÜV, the largest proportion of driving tests were in class B, which includes cars with a total weight of up to three and a half tons. In this class, 49 percent failed in theory and 42 percent in practice.
There were lower failure rates among young learner drivers who took their accompanied driving test from the age of 17. Here the failure rate was 38 percent in theory and 26 percent in practice. These learner drivers are only allowed to drive alone after their 18th birthday; before that, they must have a registered companion at their side.
As the TÜV association also announced, the number of test subjects in the truck classes continued to grow, as in previous years. Around 122,000 theoretical and 121,000 practical exams were taken. There were comparatively few failures among truck drivers – the rate was 16 percent in theory and 14 percent in practice.
TÜV and Dekra recorded a significant increase in driving license tests for passenger transport. Last year, the number of theoretical exams increased by 31 percent to around 13,000 and the number of practical exams increased by 30 percent to 15,500. Roughly every fifth test was failed, meaning the failure rate was also significantly lower than in the car classes. The TÜV welcomed the increase in tests given the need for bus drivers.
