The RAC is cautioning learners to all the time use the official Authorities web site and to avoid web sites that supply to guide or notify them of obtainable take a look at dates, because the common wait time for a sensible driving take a look at in England and Wales after the epidemic continues to be roughly 4 and a half months.
The driving take a look at’s governing physique, the Driver and Automobile Requirements Company (DVSA), has closed 689 companies, suspended 746, and issued 283 warnings for abusing its reserving system since January 2023.
Sadly, nevertheless, the RAC has found that some unlicensed web sites proceed to try to make the most of college students who’re having issue changing into licensed drivers.
A ‘black market’ that utilises bots to order take a look at areas extra rapidly than any particular person might is continuously attractive learners who’re determined to beat the take a look at backlog.
As soon as out there, these slots are subsequently resold at exorbitant costs or by way of paid companies that notify prospects of take a look at cancellations of their neighbourhood.
In response to RAC analysis, some web sites are reselling driving exams for as much as £195, which is greater than 3 times the official value, regardless that the take a look at itself prices £62.
The RAC has found that many driving take a look at dates should be bought on-line by way of third events since they’re supplied by way of encrypted WhatsApp chats, regardless of the DVSA’s swift efforts to crack down on the black market.
The ‘disappearing message’ characteristic is continuously utilized by distributors on these channels to make conversations untraceable.
By ‘cancellation alert’ functions and schemes, which cost customers a one-time charge to obtain alerts each time a slot turns into out there sooner than their authentic take a look at, different third events are creating wealth off of the backlog.
Even when some web sites demand legitimate documentation of a DVSA take a look at, drivers should should pay almost twice as a lot for sign-up charges as for a real take a look at; ‘VIP packages’ can value as much as £117.
The RAC has additionally found that college students ought to be fearful about dropping not solely cash but additionally their private info. One such sufferer is freelance journalist Lara Olszowska, with whom the RAC has had conversations.
Lara stated: “I purchased into the driving take a look at black market at £169 for a take a look at value £62, simply to keep away from having to retake my principle and delay my sensible examination. I gave them my driving licence quantity, my principle certificates quantity, and my house tackle with out batting an eyelid.
“After failing that take a look at, I went on-line to attempt to guide my subsequent try, however the DVSA web site saved popping up with an ‘error’ message.
“That led to a fateful telephone name with the DVSA the place I realized my account was blocked for having ‘too many’ exams booked utilizing my particulars – regardless that I used to be blissfully unaware for the years it was happening.
“An organization had used my particulars to repeatedly guide exams below my title 52 occasions and swap them with different candidates who needed the slots for triple the value.
“My recommendation to different drivers is all the time to guide by way of the DVSA on-line or over the telephone and, when you have months of ready time, plan backwards from there along with your teacher so you recognize you might be greater than able to cross by the point your take a look at date comes.
“You don’t wish to find yourself spending tons of on sooner take a look at dates, just for a 3rd celebration to run off along with your particulars to guide a number of exams so your particulars get blocked, and you discover out when it’s too late.”
To be clear, the RAC is recommending that drivers make their reservations instantly by way of the Authorities web site as an alternative of utilizing a third-party ‘black market’ web site, which continuously gives inaccurate info just like the frequency of driving take a look at bookings.
Learner drivers are expressing their dissatisfaction with the reserving course of on Reddit and Mumsnet boards, and scammers are even endorsing their web sites there.
RAC head of coverage Simon Williams stated: “It’s horrible that ‘brokers’ utilizing software program to order exams sooner than a human probably might are making it so laborious for learners to guide take a look at slots. It appears as if know-how is continually getting used to cheat the system as we’ve been instructed somebody’s driving licence quantity was used to guide a number of exams.
“Definitive motion must be taken to stop ‘bots’ reserving exams after which promoting them on to determined learners for loopy quantities of cash. This results in real slots being wasted and learners, who’re able to take their exams, lacking out and having to attend months for an opportunity to turn out to be a professional driver. It’s no marvel some learners find yourself reserving take a look at slots earlier than they’re prepared.
“It’s additionally very flawed that actual people who find themselves genuinely making an attempt to guide their exams are being handled as if they’re ‘bots’ as a result of their information has been stolen by fraudsters.
“The perfect plan of action earlier than the DVSA finds an answer to this drawback as soon as and for all is to guide solely by way of the official Authorities web site and never pay properly over the percentages by utilizing a so-called dealer’s web site.”
