How does region affect pass rates?

On the 25/4/12 I put up a blog about regional variations in pass rates.   Why does that happen?  Why does Boston pass so many more candidates than Peterborough for example (in % terms)?  Why does Plymouth have a 92% pass rate for PDI’s taking the Part 3 Test, and yet Colchester have just 17%?  What are the factors at play?

The locations :  The range of driving conditions that you could come across vary across regions.  What kinds of things will make a tougher test for a candidate?  Roads with inclines/declines, tight/narrow roads, sharp bends, junctions with no visibility, roundabouts with multi-lanes, dual-carraigeways with several entry/exit points, things that COULD make you pause eg zebra crossings, traffic lights, peds walking into roads, dealing with vulnerable road users eg scooter/motor bikes/pedestrians/mobility scooters/cyclists, variety on junctions for manoeuvres eg sharpness/dips/pot-holes/vision/busy. How well does the Local Authority maintain the roads, provide good, clear, well designed white paint, traffic signs and roads.  So if one region has more quantity of these factors compared to another, then there is more probability of a candidate experiencing the greater variety or complexity.

The examiners:  These people are all trained to achieve the expected standard of the DSA.  They are paid to conduct a test as a neutral; completely unbiased.  But they are human, and we all consciously and unconsciously bring to our work ‘baggage’.  I’m referring here to experience/inexperience – all examiners at some stage will have started off on ‘Test no. 1’.  They bring along with them their personal preferences, they would not be human if they didn’t..... their own personal history will inevitably affect how they view certain scenarios that crop up.  They bring with them their strengths and their weaknesses – they are not robots, these are humans that will have their personal strong and weak points.  And they bring with them their emotions –  the range of events that happen in all our lives that can affect our emotions is huge; and our emotions can affect our judgement.  These are the kind of factors that if they feature large in any particular region (for whatever reason), could well affect outcomes.

The candidates:  Different regions have people from different backgrounds.  An example might be a higher % of migrants in one area compared to another, or on average a younger/older candidate going to test.  The economy in an area may affect the candidates financial ability to receive professional training.  The candidate’s family/peers can influence their attitude to driving/training, and the influence a community can have on families can vary across regions.  The quantity and diversity of travel experienced in a candidate’s upbringing which can be related to their region of upbringing.  Attitudes to learning and academic achievement vary regionally.  Aspirations/motivation can vary regionally.

The training provider:  Regions will have variations in availability of Driving Instructors, price of training, quality of training available.  Certain regions will be more attracted to providing the training within the community from non-professionals or perhaps retired professionals.  The quality of training provided can be affected by the economy in a region, as well as the market forces (supply/demand) in that region.  How much the Test Centre in a region influences the attitudes of the training providers it serves can vary regionally.