M-way Training For Learners

The move would be one of the biggest changes in the way learners have been taught for decades and would see the Highway Code rewritten. However, M-way driving is unlikely to ever be included in the actual exam because parts of the UK don't have easy access to them.

Ministers are consulting more than 100 organisations about the law change, which insiders say is expected to happen sooner rather than later. The British School of Motoring is one interested party, and Keith Cameron, head of road safety, told Auto Express: "We are great advocates of taking learner drivers on to motorways as part of their training. We accept there are accessibility issues, but driving on dual carriageways and A-roads does not quell the fear some learners have of motorways. That fear makes them worse drivers."

It's hoped that the change would reduce the number of M-way accidents involving newly qualified drivers. Government figures show that every year, some 5,000 deaths and serious injuries are caused by motorists with less than two years' experience.

Cameron continued: "At the least people should drive on a motorway with an instructor after passing their test." A spokesman for the DfT said: "The issue of letting learner drivers on to motorways is still under consideration."