Tested Safely

Annual Report
2020 - 2021

OPTIMIZED PRACTICAL DRIVING PERMIT TEST →→→ Drive wherever you want and feel the freedom! A driving license can change your life. As of this year, the driving test in Germany has also changed. To ensure road safety, the test has become increasingly digital.

GERMANY

OPFEP

TEST CENTER

The “Optimierte Praktische Fahrerlaubnisprüfung” (Optimized Practical Driving Permit Test), or OPFEP for short, has been ensuring greater road safety since January 2021. DEKRA used its many years of experience to make significant contributions to the new procedure. For the individuals taking the tests for any of the different categories of driving license, the updated content and methodology offers improved feedback and safety. This is because new drivers are at a higher risk of having an accident. In particular, drivers in the age group 18 to 24 are responsible for one in five accidents that result in personal injuries.

With the OPFEP, there are now standardized national standards across Germany. For example, which driving maneuvers must be tested? Which requirements must be met as part of the test? What are the evaluation criteria? The standardized approach increases objectivity and transparency in the test procedure. In addition, the expanded set of driving maneuvers is an important foundation for learning at driving school. “The new process is a milestone for Germany’s driving permit services,” says Dr. Roland Krause, board member at DEKRA e.V. Dresden and head of the technical test center.

OPTIMIZED PRACTICAL DRIVING PERMIT TEST

Electronic Test Report

Instead of on paper, the examiner will now draw up the test report electronically using a tablet and a bespoke software program. This process lets them record all the driving maneuvers in which the person taking the test is better than average or makes a mistake. If the examinee performs as expected, no separate documentation is required. Therefore, the examiner can keep concentrating on their main task, which is to watch the learner during the test. The electronic test report also helps the examiner to evaluate the examinee’s driving ability. However, the examiner still makes the final decision. This arrangement helps the learner, too, as they receive an informative written report of what they did well and what they did not do well – regardless of whether or not they passed the test.

Innovation Driver

DEKRA e.V. Dresden has been responsible for driving permit tests in the former East German states for 30 years. Nowadays, for example, it contributed to the development of the computer-assisted theory test. The introduction of the OPFEP is the systematic next step in the ongoing efforts to improve the driving permit test.

MILESTONE

»The optimized practical driving permit test is a milestone for Germany’s driving permit services.«
Dr. Roland Krause
[board member at DEKRA e.V. Dresden and head of the technical test center]

Alexa, what’s the weather like?

Next Insight

Next Insight