Instead of another full practical driving test, King said the evaluation would focus on “clutch control, hill starting, smoothness and understanding of gears.”
He believes it could also be carried out by an approved driving instructor (ADI) rather than a DVSA examiner.
“It wouldn’t be trying to replicate the entire driving test,” he said.
IAM RoadSmart Policy Lead, Nicholas Lyes, agrees that any conversion route should be evaluated using an ADI. He also suggests using a scoring system instead of a simple pass or fail.
“It would not be necessary for there to be a theoretical test, nor would the evaluation necessarily be pass or fail,” he said. “If they get one and two, that would suggest they’re OK to drive a manual. If they get three and four, that would indicate they need more practice.”
It is unclear whether a German-style system would work in the UK.
While Sutcliffe believes the current system “is archaic and needs an overhaul”, he thinks “the AA is trying to define a framework around something that needs a lot more design, thought and industry involvement”.
Sutcliffe believes policymakers should first decide the overall objectives of a conversion course before deciding how it should be implemented. He said a “blended learning approach” could be used, combining technology with “practical skills development”.
“It’s not about saying we need five hours of training right now,” he said. “We need to understand what we’re really training. Is it the way the driver handles the vehicle, or do we just need to understand the differences in the way the vehicle behaves and what those impacts are on the driver and the safe use of the vehicle?”
Sutcliffe believes this is becoming increasingly relevant as drivers switch between petrol, hybrid and electric vehicles, each of which can behave differently.
“Every automatic car is very different,” he explains. “An electric vehicle behaves differently to a petrol automatic. For example, if the car has regenerative braking, how is that different from driving a manual car and how does it affect the student driver and then the newly qualified driver when they get real-world driving experience?”
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