Moves to ban foreign language driving test

The UK government is concerned that “political correctness” means thousands of drivers have been granted UK licences despite not being able to read road signs in English.

Under current rules, the theory test can be sat in 19 foreign languages, and candidates are also permitted to attend the practical test with a translator.

Transport Minister Mike Penning said it was “incredible” that 93,407 car driving theory tests were sat in a foreign language last year.

Department for Transport figures show 18,927 were in Urdu, 12,905 in Polish and 298 in Albanian.

Some 230 Russians took the test with a translator, 452 Romanians and 21 Bulgarians.

More than 1,500 people also took the theory tests to be qualified to drive a bus in a foreign language.

The taxpayer apparently meets the cost of translating theory tests into foreign languages – but people must meet the cost of paying for their own translator during the practical test. In total, about 7 per cent of all theory tests are not conducted in English.

Tory MP Penning said he was considering how to change the rules to ban the “politically correct” foreign language tests.

“I find it incredible that Labour thought it was a good idea to let people without a basic grasp of English loose on our roads,” he said. “Road safety should be our priority, not political correctness.

“Instead of spending taxpayers’ money on costly translation services and interpreters we want to explore whether that money would be better spent on actually helping people to learn enough English to be able to drive safely.”

But the details of how an English-only test regime would be introduced without falling foul of European and anti-discrimination laws are still being hammered out.

The coalition government has already announced plans to tighten up the driving theory test.

The Driving Standards Agency previously published the multiple choice questions and answers that people would face in the tests. However, from January 2012, learner drivers will have to answer unpublished questions.