Driver's license tests at a record high, failure rate increases

In rural areas, many are dependent on cars: the desire for a driver's license is unbroken in Germany. According to the Tüv Association, a record number of driver’s license tests was reached in 2022 – however, the failure rate has also increased enormously. According to the Tüv Association, 39 percent of the theoretical tests for all driving license classes were not passed last year. That is 10 percentage points more than in 2013.

In the practical tests, 37 percent of the learner drivers did not pass the normal driver's license. "Each test that is not passed puts a mental and financial strain on the learner drivers," said Richard Goebelt, Managing Director of the Tüv-Verband. Finding the reasons is difficult. From the point of view of the testing organizations, one is the increasingly complex and dense road traffic. In Goebelt's view, it is also important to provide more information about road safety in schools and parents' homes.

It is also striking that the failure rate for the driving license at 17 is a few percentage points lower than that for the normal class B car driving license. According to surveys by the Tüv Association, there were around 3.6 million practical and theoretical tests in 2022. This exceeded the previous peak value of 2019 with an increase of around 20,000 practical tests and reached the pre-corona level again. In 2020 and 2021 the numbers had fallen due to the pandemic. Many driving schools had temporarily closed.

At the turn of the year, the Federal Association of Driving Instructor Associations also spoke of a great demand for the driver's license and saw one reason for this in savings during the corona pandemic. People would have spent less money on travel, for example - and "have money left over to get luxury driver's licenses like the one for a motorcycle," Vice-Chairman Kurt Bartels told the dpa. In big cities there are also some who prefer to sit in their own car instead of in crowded buses and trains.

According to the TÜV, the driving tests have been further developed in recent years. This has contributed to the fact that fewer and fewer of the particularly endangered novice drivers have accidents. The number of 18- to 24-year-olds who died in traffic accidents fell from almost 2,750 in 1991 to 326 in 2020.

"Kick-off Politics" is WELT's daily news podcast. The most important topic analyzed by WELT editors and the dates of the day. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, among others, or directly via RSS feed.