Ten youngsters killed or injured on roads every day

LEARNERS should not be permitted to take their driving test until they are at least 18, after a one-year minimum training period, insurers said today.

The call, which is aimed at cutting deaths, goes further than the last UK government's plans to introduce months of training so new drivers could not sit their test just after their 17th birthday.

It also coincides with changes to the driving test.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said three in four people it had polled backed a learning period of at least a year as the most effective step to cutting young drivers' crash rates. The survey, of 2,500 people, also found 68 per cent supported a more structured education programme to inform young drivers of the dangers of being behind the wheel.

In addition, 69 per cent of those polled backed restrictions on the number of passengers a newly-qualified driver could carry, to improve safety.

The ABI said despite a fall in the overall number of road casualties, more young drivers are killed or seriously injured on the roads now than 15 years ago.

• Case study: The tragic death roll of the newly qualified

It said ten young drivers or their passengers were killed or seriously injured on Britain's roads every day. Road crashes are the biggest cause of accidental deaths of young men aged between 15 and 19, with one in five drivers crashing within six months of passing their test.

In addition, 17-20 year-old male drivers are nearly ten times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than more experienced motorists.

ABI general insurance and health director Nick Starling said: "Introducing a longer and more structured learning period may frustrate some youngsters, eager to get behind the wheel. But better this than they become another tragic statistic.

"Too many young drivers are still killed or seriously injured on our roads. A car is a potential lethal weapon, and we must provide more help to young motorists to better deal with the dangers of driving. A minimum one-year learning period, and young driver passenger restrictions, would help ensure that today's young drivers become tomorrow's safer motorists."

The ABI's call comes as a ten-minute "independent" driving section is introduced to the test from today.This will require candidates to follow a pre-assigned route without step-by-step instructions from their examiner.

However, the UK government's Driving Standards Agency, which is no longer publishing test routes online, stressed that candidates could ask for reminders of their route as they drove, and they would not be failed for going off route.

Another change involves those taking the test having to complete only one of the three reversing manoeuvres, instead of two at present.

The UK government has yet to decide whether to go ahead with a radical shake-up of the driving test, proposed two years ago under the last administration.

Motoring experts remain unconvinced. Neil Greig of the Institue of Advanced Motorists said: "We are not convinced by compulsory one-year limits and controls on passenger numbers."

Automobile Association president Edmund King was likewise sceptical of the proposal. He said: "We support a more structured approach to learning to drive but don't necessarily believe that delaying the test for 12 months is the answer."

Road safety minister Mike Penning said: "We want all new drivers to be able to drive safely and independently and are considering how both training and testing can be improved to achieve this."