London - The brighter you are, the less likely you are to pass your driving test first time, a report has revealed.
And creative types who prefer the arts perform better than drivers who are good at maths and science. Experts suspect drivers with more academic minds may over-think the challenge they are facing, compared with people who have a more practical and hands-on approach to the problem.
The study found 59 percent of drivers with no qualifications passed their test first time but only 50 percent of those with school-leaving certificates or equivalent did the same. Those with a degree passed in one attempt 48 percent of the time and this fell further to 47 percent for someone with a post-graduate qualification.
Those taking arts subjects at A-Level and above passed quickest – taking an average of 1.9 attempts compared to 2.3 attempts for those specialising in science and maths. The research was based on analysis of 1564 people with a full UK driving licence.
Dr Lee Hadlington, senior lecturer in Psychology at De Montfort University said: "Those who don’t have formal qualifications could be in roles that rely more heavily on procedural skills like motor control, hence they may be better suited to activities like passing a driving test."