Ban on taking driving tests in foreign languages

H ow familiar are you with European road signs

Obviously, there are real safety risks that if people cannot understand the language, they cannot understand signs and other rules of the road.

In plans to be unveiled next month, Immigrants will be banned from taking driving tests in 19 foreign languages, including: Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Dari, Farsi, Gujarati, Hindi, Kashmiri, Kurdish, Mirpuri, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Pushto, Spanish, Tamil, Turkish, Urdu.

The UK currently provides the most generous driving test language system in Europe, with applicants able to take the theory test in these 19 languages plus English and Welsh.  Make a booking

Currently, Interpreters can be used to translate driving examiner's instructions in the practical test. 

About 675 learners a week take the test with an interpreter in the back seat.  A further 2,100 use them or rely on voice-overs for their theory exam.
The free service, introduced by Labour, costs taxpayers £250,000.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin ordered the crackdown to stop rogue interpreters helping people who cannot speak English cheat their way to a UK driving licence by telling them the answers to questions in both the theory and practical tests. 

Using a rogue interpreter can be similar to a driving test candidate taking their driving instructor along on test who provides guidance on how to drive correctly.  It should be noted driving test candidates can take someone with them on test other than an interpreter as long as they must be over 16 and can't take any part in the test.

More than 850 test passes have been revoked since 2009, while nine interpreters have been banned. 

Surely this makes perfect sense, as the proposal may save a considerable amount of money, and importantly, it could cut out fraud and making roads safer.

Give your views on options for changing the amount of language support given in the theory and practical driving test below or visit The Driving Standards Agency (DSA)

Relevant topics:
Observer on L test