IELTS Essay: Driving Tests

Vocabulary

What do the words in bold below mean? Make some notes on paper to aid memory and then check below.

Some today argue that the transportation of goods would be safer if drivers were required to take mandatory driving tests each year. In my opinion, this is not a realistic solution despite its potential benefits.

Those in favor of such a reform point out that truck drivers need these courses more than other motorists. After driving for many years, it is natural that individuals may forget certain rules and a course to refresh their knowledge of road safety and etiquette cannot possibly do any harm. Added to this is the fact that truck drivers transporting goods are on the road far more than your average commuter. Therefore, it is logical that their ability to drive well will have an outsized impact on overall road safety statistics. A truck driver who submits to yearly re-certification under this proposal is likely to have at least a superior formal understanding of driving laws.

However, the effects of such learning might be marginal and the program itself would be prohibitively expensive. Individuals who often drive might not be strictly following the rules they learned when they first got their licenses but they are better informed of the realities and nuances of actual driving. Years of experience on the road, similar to any job, will likely do more to develop their ability than standardized testing and certification. Moreover, implementation of annual driving tests would necessitate immense bureaucratic expenses. Not only would there need to be a large department in charge but transport drivers themselves would waste time each year getting recertified. In the aggregate, the effect on road safety would be negligible but the impact on efficiency would be significant.

In conclusion, although this proposal is well-intentioned, its actual implementation would likely be inefficient and wasteful. Therefore, more viable options should be explored.