A DRIVING instructor has welcomed new rules stating that learner drivers must be able to follow directions from a sat nav during their test.

Chris Conway, who runs the Able Udrive School of Motoring, based in Grange Park, is confident that the new rules shouldn’t be too problematic for students.

Four major changes to the current test will come into force in December.

As well as students demonstrating their ability to follow a sat nav while driving, they will also be expected to answer vehicle safety questions while on the move and complete 20 minutes of independent driving rather than 10.

Pupils will also be expected to drive into, and reverse out of, a parking space.

The Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the body which oversees and regulates driving tests, wants the test to include “more real life scenarios”.

In a recent public consultation, 71 per cent of the 4,000 people polled agreed that candidates should be tested on the ability to drive while following a sat nav.

Chris said: “Being able to use a sat nav is a useful skill because everyone has them these days.

“If you don’t know where you are going you used to be able to stop and look at a map. But there’s no way you can do that now because the roads are so busy.

“As long as the students don’t let themselves get distracted, they shouldn’t have any problems passing the new tests.”

When asked about the feasibility of expecting students to answer questions while driving, Chris said: “That won’t be a problem, I talk to my pupils all the time.

“People would feel very uncomfortable if you didn’t chat to them. By talking about driving, and other things as well, it calms them down and helps them drive.”

The changes have also been backed by such bodies as the RAC Foundation, a charity which conducts motoring research.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “We are very supportive of the revisions DVSA is making to the practical driving test, which will mean candidates undergo a far more realistic assessment of their readiness to take to the road unsupervised.

“Much has changed since the first driving test was taken in 1935, and it must be right that the test evolves, just as the cars we drive are themselves changing to incorporate ever more driver assist technology such as inbuilt sat nav systems.

“Novice drivers need to demonstrate the right skills and driving style to cope with the new environment.”

Chris also thought that increasing the time in which a candidate undertakes independent driving was a good idea. He thought it would make for better drivers.