Driving Test “Unfit For Purpose”

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has slammed the UK's current driving test and has reportedly said the test fails to prepare young people well enough to drive independently.

The IAM is now calling for a review of the standard driving test after new research carried out by the organisation has shown that nearly a third of UK motorists between the ages of 18 and 25 break the law within a few years of passing it.

The study, carried out alongside Vision Critcal, also reveals that more than two thirds of drivers questioned think their driving skills need improvement, while a quarter have already been involved in a road accident.

An IAM Spokesperson, said:

“What we have learnt from our research will come as a surprise to many parents. Young people agree they need more help to become confident, skilled drivers and they believe learning more about safe driving should start at school.

“Parents support the introduction of a minimum number of supervised driving hours, and training on motorway driving and driving at night before taking the test. Supervised motorway driving as part of learning to drive has practical difficulties because many people live a long way from motorways but there is a lot of support for finding a solution to this.”

Government statistics from 2012 show that one in five people killed or seriously hurt on UK roads were in a road accident that involved at least one young motorist. Around a quarter of the 542 fatalities in 2012 were young drivers.

78% of parents questioned as part of the recent IAM survey believe that motorway driving should be an integral part of driver training and 76% think training on driving at night should also be undertaken before young people take their driving test.

53% of young drivers who took part in the survey also confessed they were nervous about driving in adverse weather conditions and only 37% felt confident in their driving ability after passing the test.

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