Young drivers could face wait to take test

The Government is considering making young drivers wait to take their driving test as part of a plan to improve safety standards on the road.

In an exlclusive interview with Auto Express, transport minister Stephen Hammond spelled out a number of ideaswhich are being considered by the Department for Transport. And ensuring young drivers have sufficient experience on the road before taking their test is one of them.

Hammond said: “You are about to see from this Department a big piece of work going out to consultation on some ideas, and the meat and drink will be around people aged between 17 and 24.

 “We recognise that they are the most vulnerable age group on the road, and there is some real concern that there are people who get their provisional licence one week, do a crammer course the next and then pass the test the week after.

 “There is some interesting evidence that suggests we ought to have a period of time between gaining your provisional licence and taking your test, so you gain experience of the road. I think that is quite powerful. “When we put the consultation document out, we’ll leave that [the timeframe] open to some people’s suggestions, but I’d suggest somewhere between six to nine months is appropriate.”

Other suggestions being considered include insurance premium reductions and looking at how young drivers use cars once they pass their test.

 “We’re looking at working with the insurance industry in terms of potentially offering some incentives to do a post-test lesson on motorway driving or night-time driving, alongside an insurance fee trade-off. Or if not, how we could encourage people to do it as part of their post-test training,” explained Hammond.

 “There is also an appetite for looking at who is driving and how many people should be in the car in your first couple of years of driving.

“We do see tragic accidents quite often where four or five young people in a car all get killed and quite often the driver isn’t over the limit, but is egged on by a number of people who are.

 “There is something around looking at the road safety record there, against, of course, the trade-off in terms of mobility and accessibility and what that brings young people.”

Hammond’s comments come a week after Auto Express exclusively revealed that he is considering trials of an 80mph motorway speed limit next year.

For the full interview with the transport minister, see the 19 June issue of Auto Express.