By Steve Ranger, 3 November 2005 12:15
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is trialing digital pen technology which is saving time for test examiners and getting licenses issued faster.
The digital pen technology has already been tested at a driving test centre in Glasgow, and the agency is now planning for a more extensive trial at a number of centres next year, said DSA Operations Director Brian Gilhooley.
At the moment the examiner goes out on the test with a biro and records details such as driving faults and the name of the driving instructor onto one form.
This form comes back to a central point at the DSA and is scanned into the agency's computer systems. This lets the DVLA know whether the candidate has passed the test or not. Using the pens will cut out this scanning process and reduce the time taken to issue a driving license from six days to two because information will be available much more quickly.
"The digital pen makes this slicker and quicker. The examiner has a digital pen that writes like a biro - it's a bit chunkier but writes on the same form and writes in ink," Gilhooley said.
"It really is a project we are delighted with," he added.
When the examiner comes back after a test or at the end of the working day, he'll put the pen into the docking station and it will download all the details he's written with it onto the systems.
Currently admin staff have to check for data inputting errors but Gilhooley said that "because it's all done at the test centre the examiner can check it there and then".
By the time of the full launch, the pens will also be able to learn the handwriting of each instructor, he said. "If you do your '6' in a funny way this will recognise it."
The system is being developed by the DSA's IT partner Capita.
Comments
There are 4 comments. Join the discussion
1. Steve Grigor - Driving Examiner Branch Secretary
Driving Examiner's Trade Union - PCS has reservations about the use of the digital pen technology. Your readers may be interested to know that Examiners conduct 7 tests in a tightly-scheduled day.
While the pen operates like a normal biro during the test, afterwards 5 examiners have to queue up to use a single PC! Then they have to log on, check and edit the test form and log off. This takes longer than the existing paper based system and there is simply not enough time to fit all of this in. The Agency may have to reduce the schedule of tests down to six a day and increase the test fee as a result.
Because the pen is so "fat" some examiners with disablities may not be able to use them but these concerns have not yet been addressed.
2. Jim Anderson PCS
Wouldn't it be more honest if your headline said "Driving Test Examiners' bosses give digital pens green light"?
Surely any technology that actually slows down the delivery of the product, and increases the cost to the public, needs to be reported on objectively?
There are plenty of examples of Government initiatives using 'unproven' technology to achieve zero advantage at great cost - this looks like another one.
Jim Anderson PCS
3. Bob Fudge
Our operations director is saying what he believes to be the case on the Digital Pens. The PCS Driving Examiners Branch has another slant on this issue.
We don't believe the use of these pens will mean any time is saved for the Hard Worked Examiners in the DSA. In fact the trial showed that the examiners actually worked after their finishing times to get the pens to download and had to check every individual test to make sure the pens had recorded the test correctly. If it didn't record correctly the examiner had to change it through the computer manually. So much for making the Examiners day a bit less fraught than it already is.
There is no agreement with the Union to use these pens. We are still to be convinced that there is any benefit to examiners at all!
4. Katie
We are currently using the digital pens and we are finding them very useful.
All new products take some time geeting used to them but anybody planning to start using this product should do so even on a trial basis at first you will soon see the benefits.