Re: Are driving tests a cod?
basically a money-making exercise
I'd have to agree. When I turned 18, a certain number of years ago...
— I sat my first car test with a grumpy old fart who made it clear to me from the
outset that he didn't hold with young whippersnappers getting their test and thinking they were the bee's knees (or words to that effect). Did a pretty-much-perfect test, but was failed, and the report said I'd driven too slowly (?!) and failed to look in my rear-view mirror enough — utter sh1te. I needed the licence in a hurry for work purposes, so managed get an early re-test a few weeks later, but then who do I see coming out to the car but the same old fart! Heart sank. Did the test reasonably well, but certainly not as well as the first time around (i.e. brushed against the kerb on my reversing-around-a-corner bit). Guy hopped out of the car at the end without saying a word, so I parked and followed him inside... to be told I'd passed!
Six months later, applied to do the motorcycle test (I'd been advised not to even bother doing this until I'd a full car licence). On the day, I answered the few "Rules of the road" questions, went outside with the tester, was told to drive around the green in front of the testing centre and did so, driving like a baby all the way. He then told me to repeat the exercise, but going in the opposite direction (— a bit trickier in that it involved a couple of right turns against oncoming traffic). When I got back, there was no sign of the guy, but a man waiting for his daughter outside the test centre told me the tester had turned his back and walked back inside the minute I'd driven off...
Maybe things have improved since, but...