Problems with South Africa's K53 driving test system

K53 just teaches you how to use your handbrake.
If anything, there should be three components. The yard, the drive, then there should be an additional high speed driving which should cover handling the car at speed, changing lanes, merging, etc.
If anything these instructors should make more money considering the absolute numpties we have on the highway these days in their kwids
 
porchrat said:
I haven't done the motorcycle test
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Mine was many moons ago. But my MC licence was a joke. I took off on the agreed testing route and somehow the the "tester" lost me. I never exceeded the speed limit or deviated from the route. I got back to the testing station oblivious to it all to discover I was out there one my own. Somehow I got my licence. Still have no idea how. Not ungrateful though.
 
I don't have a gripe with k53

I do have a gripe with having to te write a learners because the waiting lists to t an appointment falls outside the validity of the learners

Surely you can have a rule that says once passed you may drie with companion for x months thereafter you may take the test with an expired learners just not drive

Old drivers don't retake the test do they

Passing the licence cements the facts or what?

Surely if you passed a learners you have shown your competency and don't need to redo that scion just as e don't redo licence
 
deweyzeph said:
If there's anything to complain about it's the inadequacies of the South African motorcycle driving test. It's an absolute joke. There is only a yard component to the test, the examiner does not even take you out on the road to test if you can actually handle a motorcycle in real-world conditions. Not to mention the motorcycle learner's license which basically allows you to ride the biggest motorcycle you can get your hands on as soon as you've written the theory test and go wrap yourself around the nearest pole.

I think the car test is just fine. If you can't pull away from a dead stop without rolling your car then you deserve to fail.
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Back when I did my motorcycle test it varied a lot between municipalities. I only did the yard test, while some where looking at introducing an examiner to follow you on the road. Some small municipalities were famous for not having the money to build a dedicated yard, instead telling you to go on a short ride and seeing if you made it back alive. Hopefully this has been standardized in the meantime.
 
deweyzeph said:
I'm just using "Code 10" so the boomers understand.
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I'm a boomer and Code 8 and 10 are so far out of date, I don't understand them. Code 8 is now a Code B. What was an EB in the old parlance? Code 10 is now a Code C1? You don't need to parallel park with a Code C1, something many people can't do, so they choose a Code C1 instead of a Code B or EB. C1 allows them to drive a Code B without the parallel parking test.

Us boomers were grandfathered into Code EB because our ancient licence tests allowed us to tow a caravan.

deweyzeph said:
It's also a complete fallacy that a "Code 10" license is easier. You're talking about a 6 meter long 3 ton truck. If you can't even maneuver a normal passenger car around a testing yard you have no chance of passing a truck license.
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My double cab bakkie is over 5 metres long. I have a 3 metre long double axle livestock trailer with brakes. Add another meter for the tow hitch. So, on my EB licence, this boomer can legally drive a 9+ metre long articulated vehicle that can legally weigh over 4 tons. And, yes, I can reverse that trailer around a sharp corner to alley dock it.
 
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Agree with others who said corruption is the problem. There isn’t anything per se wrong with K53. If anything, I think we should keep K53, but lower the minimum age, so say you can get your learners from 15, but you have to have a learner for at least a full year before you can take the drivers test. After competing the K53 drivers test, you then can drive on certain road, but not on freeways/highways etc. you need to then log a certain amount of suburban/urban driving hours before your license becomes unendorsed and you are allowed to travel on high speed roads.

But back to the article in question…. The author reckons a common complaint is that drivers never need to parallel park or ally dock once they have completed the test, and that the yard test doesn’t prepare them for the real world? Huh?? What this oke smoking.

Where do you live that you never need to parrellel park? And is there any other way to parrellel park other than how we had to learn to do it in the K53 test?

Plus, if you can’t parrellel park between some cones or pvc pipes…. Then you have no business trying to do it between other peoples cars.

Alley docking is just reversing in a straight line? If you can’t do that, you also have no place being in a car in public.
 
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