Learner Drivers Face Tougher Tests, Report Says

A stiffer driving test would effectively lift the minimum age of new drivers to 18, it was reported today.

Proposals for an overhaul of the driving test are expected in a consultation document due to be published by ministers in the new year.

The government is reportedly thinking of making the driving test tougher so that it takes a year to become a qualified driver after securing a provisional license at 17, the Daily Mail reported.

Road safety figures show that one in five new drivers aged between 17 and 19 crash within a year of passing their test, but the risk sharply declines after the first year of driving.

The test will put more emphasis on areas such as avoiding reckless behavior and "over confidence and other failings", according to the Mail.

Candidates will have to master key skills of the current driving test, such as parallel parking and reversing around a corner, before being allowed to take a new practical L test.

Each mastered key skill would be signed off by a qualified instructor in a logbook, to allow the driving test examiner to concentrate on safety elements such as dealing with junctions and moving traffic.

Learner drivers would have to spend up to 500 hours mastering the key skills - a fivefold increase in the 100-odd hours experts say learner drivers now typically spend to pass their test.

A source told the Mail: "This way the government can effectively raise the driving age to 18 without having to specifically legislate."

The new driving test would apply to all learner drivers regardless of age, according to the Mail.

The consultation will look at whether to insist on a given number of compulsory lessons with a qualified instructor, raising the specter of affordability for those on low incomes who currently rely on free tuition from family and friends to gain the necessary experience.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport said the claims about a tougher test were "pure speculation" at this stage.

"We said we would be overhauling the driver test and would be looking at a range of things. We plan to publish a consultation document in the new year but it has not been written yet. Nobody knows what is in it."