The RAC is cautioning learners to all the time use the official Authorities web site and to steer clear of web sites that supply to ebook or notify them of accessible check dates, for the reason that common wait time for a sensible driving check in England and Wales after the epidemic remains to be roughly 4 and a half months.
The driving check’s governing physique, the Driver and Automobile Requirements Company (DVSA), has closed 689 companies, suspended 746, and issued 283 warnings for abusing its reserving system since January 2023.
Sadly, nonetheless, the RAC has found that some unlicensed web sites proceed to try to benefit from college students who’re having issue changing into licensed drivers.
A ‘black market’ that utilises bots to order check areas extra shortly than any particular person may is incessantly engaging learners who’re determined to beat the check backlog.
As soon as accessible, these slots are subsequently resold at exorbitant costs or by means of paid companies that notify clients of check cancellations of their neighbourhood.
In response to RAC analysis, some web sites are reselling driving assessments for as much as £195, which is greater than thrice the official worth, despite the fact that the check itself prices £62.
The RAC has found that many driving check dates should be bought on-line by means of third events since they’re provided by means of encrypted WhatsApp chats, regardless of the DVSA’s swift efforts to crack down on the black market.
The ‘disappearing message’ characteristic is incessantly utilized by distributors on these channels to make conversations untraceable.
Via ‘cancellation alert’ functions and schemes, which cost customers a one-time price to obtain alerts each time a slot turns into accessible sooner than their authentic check, different third events are being profitable off of the backlog.
Even when some web sites demand legitimate documentation of a DVSA check, drivers should should pay almost twice as a lot for sign-up charges as for a real check; ‘VIP packages’ can value as much as £117.
The RAC has additionally found that college students needs to be nervous about shedding not solely cash but additionally their private data. One such sufferer is freelance journalist Lara Olszowska, with whom the RAC has had conversations.
Lara mentioned: “I purchased into the driving check black market at £169 for a check value £62, simply to keep away from having to retake my idea and delay my sensible examination. I gave them my driving licence quantity, my idea certificates quantity, and my residence tackle with out batting an eyelid.
“After failing that check, I went on-line to attempt to ebook my subsequent try, however the DVSA web site stored popping up with an ‘error’ message.
“That led to a fateful telephone name with the DVSA the place I realized my account was blocked for having ‘too many’ assessments booked utilizing my particulars – despite the fact that I used to be blissfully unaware for the years it was occurring.
“An organization had used my particulars to repeatedly ebook assessments below my title 52 instances and swap them with different candidates who wished the slots for triple the value.
“My recommendation to different drivers is all the time to ebook by means of the DVSA on-line or over the telephone and, if in case you have months of ready time, plan backwards from there together with your teacher so you already know you’re greater than able to go by the point your check date comes.
“You don’t wish to find yourself spending a whole lot on sooner check dates, just for a 3rd get together to run off together with your particulars to ebook a number of assessments so your particulars get blocked, and you discover out when it’s too late.”
To be clear, the RAC is recommending that drivers make their reservations instantly by means of the Authorities web site as a substitute of utilizing a third-party ‘black market’ web site, which incessantly gives inaccurate data just like the frequency of driving check bookings.
Learner drivers are expressing their dissatisfaction with the reserving course of on Reddit and Mumsnet boards, and scammers are even endorsing their web sites there.
RAC head of coverage Simon Williams mentioned: “It’s horrible that ‘brokers’ utilizing software program to order assessments quicker than a human presumably may are making it so arduous for learners to ebook check slots. It appears as if know-how is consistently getting used to cheat the system as we’ve been advised somebody’s driving licence quantity was used to ebook a number of assessments.
“Definitive motion must be taken to stop ‘bots’ reserving assessments after which promoting them on to determined learners for loopy quantities of cash. This results in real slots being wasted and learners, who’re able to take their assessments, lacking out and having to attend months for an opportunity to change into a professional driver. It’s no marvel some learners find yourself reserving check slots earlier than they’re prepared.
“It’s additionally very unsuitable that actual people who find themselves genuinely making an attempt to ebook their assessments are being handled as if they’re ‘bots’ as a result of their information has been stolen by fraudsters.
“The very best plan of action earlier than the DVSA finds an answer to this downside as soon as and for all is to ebook solely by way of the official Authorities web site and never pay effectively over the chances through the use of a so-called dealer’s website.”
