Revamp of Driver Testing and Training

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Published: 28 February 2007

Revamp of Driver Testing and Training

Proposals for a fundamental overhaul of driver training and testing have been announced by Road Safety Minister Dr Stephen Ladyman at a recent RoSPA Road Safety Congress.

New parameters for educating young people about safe driving skills were set out, with a consultation expected later in the year.

The publication of the Three Year Review of Road Safety Strategy comes as new penalties for illegally using a mobile phone while driving are enacted (from Tuesday 27 February).

It recommends a new approach to educating young people about road safety and teaching them to drive, which will include the:

· introduction of a new competency & knowledge framework

· a modern training syllabus and

· new assessment criteria

The Three Year Review (jointly promoted by DfT, the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly Government) sets out the framework for the final push towards delivering the government’s 2010 targets and it includes:

· Increased enforcement combined with continued educative publicity on important issues, particularly drink-driving and seatbelt wearing

· A complete overhaul of the way people learn, and maintain, safe driving skills - starting from an early age

· Consistent speed limits across the country by 2011 and further encouragement of 20pmh limits

· Informing consumers about the safety benefits of accident avoidance technologies to help them make more informed choices when buying a car

· Helping local authorities to continue to deliver improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, including training and infrastructure

· Continuing to work with motorcycling industry and users to implement the Government's Motorcycling Strategy

The government will also set up a new national Road Safety Delivery Board to bring together representatives of their key delivery partners.

Dr Ladyman said:

"Driving instructors currently do a very good job, but the systems they are required to operate within no longer reflect the demands of our modern world.

Educating young drivers is a serious issue. We know that, of the fatal accidents where blame could be assigned, young drivers were nearly 12 times more likely to be at fault than older drivers.

Although the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has made many important changes over the past few years, we must change perceptions about driving and road safety.

The only way to achieve this is to educate young people in a different way about the dangers of driving badly, and so positively influence their long-term behaviour and habits. And that means introducing a more rigorous system of instruction and testing.

"Our Three Year Review sets out the parameters of what we want to achieve and I am pleased the DSA is making good progress on providing the detail of how we will go about this."

The Review also highlights that the Department is making good progress on meeting the road safety targets it has set for 2010, in particular the target to reduce child fatal or serious injuries by 50%, but that there is still important work to be completed.

In particular it recommends putting emphasis on measures that will increase the rate at which the number of deaths in road accidents is reduced.

This will be achieved by building on important measures already put in place, such as the Road Safety Act 2006, and concentrating on issues where progress can continue to be made - such as with drink driving, young drivers, speeding and seat belt wearing.

Dr Ladyman added:

"There are many things motorists can do to ensure they are safe and responsible drivers.

I am clear that we must continue to educate and encourage motorists about how to achieve this, as well as robustly enforce the law to discourage those that think it is OK to break it.

That is why, as of tomorrow, we are introducing penalty points and a bigger £60 fine for those who insist on selfishly endangering the lives of others by using a hand-held mobile at the wheel.

And we will also soon be launching our first hard-hitting television campaign to make motorists think twice about using their mobiles."

Also published was the Child Road Safety Strategy 2007 which sets out an action plan of measures to help reduce child casualties further between now and 2010 - including some that are new and some that are continuing or developing existing measures.

The main priorities for new or additional efforts are:

· Promoting effective practical child pedestrian training such as Kerbcraft

· Promoting good practice in road safety education

· Encouraging broad local partnerships to deliver co-ordinated road safety activities

· Providing road safety messages to children and other road users, through Think!

· Make more of parents and peers in delivering road safety messages to children

· Encouraging wider use of 20mph zones in areas where children are active

· Co-ordinating road safety and school travel activities

Further information

Three Year Review of Road Safety Strategy

Child Road Safety Strategy 2007

Tomorrow's roads - Safer for Everyone