The figures also reveal that nationally there has been a creeping decline in results, with pass rates at their lowest in a decade from a high of 47.1%, and that women tend to have a lower success rate than men – currently 42.4% to 49.6%. By contrast, among locations with the worst records, Birmingham is joined by other spots in London, Manchester and Liverpool. Remote locations in and around the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides make up nine out of the 10 places in the country with the best pass rates. The figures, released last month by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), show that rural areas tend to have better pass rates than towns and cities across the board. Photograph: Peter Jolly Northpix/The Guardian

I take them out driving and they can’t even change gear.”Īs well as a successful driving instructor, Kenny Tallach is also a fireman and drives Gairloch’s school bus. “They book their test knowing it’s a high pass rate, thinking it’s easy. “I’ve turned down people from London, Glasgow, Edinburgh,” he says. A few years ago, Tallach says, he taught an entire class at the local school to pass their tests at the first attempt.Īs for the drivers who he says show up in search of an easier ride, Tallach has a dim view of their tactics – and of their abilities. A lot of people come to me and say, ‘I want to pass my test.’ I tend to teach people to drive as a skill,” says Tallach, who explains that he only lets his pupils go for their licence when they are truly ready to hit the road on their own.Īnd he can point to evidence that his tough, no-nonsense approach gets results. So what’s the secret? “I don’t teach people to pass their tests. Tallach, 52, believes the vast majority of the 32 people to successfully take their test in the village in the 12 months to March were his clients – and he hopes his methods are a part of their success. But there is another explanation: the talents of Kenny Tallach, until recently the only driving instructor in the Scottish village and a 27-year veteran of his trade.

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