Failed! Why the driver's license becomes a nightmare for many

Every second person fails - what's going wrong here?

Failed the theory once? Welcome to the club. Almost one in two people now fail their theoretical driving test - and the trend is rising. Ten years ago, it was still a third. Today, according to the latest figures, only around 54 percent pass the theory section at the first attempt. The practical test looks a little better with a pass rate of 64 percent, but here too the trend is going downhill.

What's going on? Has the driving license become too difficult? Or are learner drivers less well prepared? The answers are as varied as the questions in the test.

More complex issues, higher costs, less traffic experience

Anyone taking the test today faces a huge list of questions: Around 1,200 questions, including topics such as e-mobility, assistance systems and new traffic regulations. "The requirements are increasing - because road traffic is becoming more complex," says Deutschlandfunk reporter Anne-Kathrin Eutin. The questions are revised and adapted every six months. What used to be passed with common sense is now like a mini final exam.

Then there are the costs: a driving license now costs up to 4,000 euros - every failed test pushes the price up further. This quickly reaches the limit, especially for trainees, students or low-income earners.

And then there is the lack of practical experience: children and young people today often only experience road traffic from the back seat of a parent's cab. They rarely cycle alone through the city and hardly ever experience what it's like to be a pedestrian or cyclist in traffic. "This has an impact on their preparation," says Stephan Ackerschewski from the Berlin Driving Instructors' Association.

TikTok instead of theory: when the driver's license goes viral

The driving license is now also a social media topic: driving instructor Christoph Flittner aka "HerrFahrschule" has over 800,000 followers on TikTok. He gives tips on the test there - and criticizes the system at the same time. "I often ask myself: do we want to find the best driver or just someone who can drive safely?" A legitimate question in view of the high failure rates.

Flittner sees the electronic test log in particular as a problem. Since 2021, inspectors have been recording every driving error on a tablet - quite officially, quite standardized. "In the past, personal impressions also counted," he says. Today, it's often done according to a strict scheme - good for justice, bad for gut feeling.

Traffic psychologist Katja Schleinitz disagrees: "The new system is fairer. People used to work with slips of paper - now the same rules apply to everyone." But the fact that she regularly receives letters from desperate failures says a lot.

No audit should fail because of money

What should actually be a milestone in young people's lives is increasingly becoming a test of nerves with a price tag. Theory at university level, practice with a test protocol, plus four-figure sums for a bit of freedom on four wheels - something is going wrong.

Of course, novice drivers need to be safe on the roads. But with over 1,000 questions, constantly changing content and an algorithm-like test protocol, one wonders: are we looking for machines or people who drive safely?

A driver's license should not be a luxury item. Nor should it be a test of courage. Anyone who struggles through this system today is not only ready to drive - but is probably more nervously hardened than many a frequent driver.