A motoring group are hoping to increase the safety of new and most prominently young drivers on UK roads by reforming the 80 year old official driving test.
The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) are hoping that the government will take heed of the number of young drivers killed each year as a result of accidents on British roads and are suggesting that the best way to tackle this is by making amendments to the official test.
What are they suggesting?
Neil Greig, who is the director of policy and research, has suggested that a graduated license could be the way forward and has pointed to examples from other European countries who statistically boast safer roads.
What this could potentially mean is that new drivers are required to return for a further test after 12 months of passing their original test to ensure that any bad habits picked up can be altered before they become a permanent habit.
They are also suggesting that driving be added to the national curriculum as well as a minimum learning period in order for new drivers to become accustomed to high-speed roads and other potentially hazardous conditions that may arise.
In 2013, there were 191 people under the age of 24 killed on UK roads with another 20,003 injured.
Scott Rees and Co Catastrophic injury partner, Chris Walker, praised the suggestions, saying: “Although the number of deaths involving young drivers on UK roads is currently in decline, the fact that any occur means that they are too high.”
“The suggestions made by the IAM are sensible, logical and achievable and should definitely be taken seriously by the Government.”
“Having worked with some of the most serious accident injury cases, I can safely say that the effect of a fatal injury claim involving a young driver has devastating consequences for everyone involved with the victim.”
“No one should have to lose a loved one on the road, whatever the age, but for a parent losing a loved one the impact is unbearable and if there are simple ways we can reduce the number of instances that this occurs in then it is definitely worth looking into.”
The driving licence is currently in its 80th year of existence but there have been alterations in the past, most notably the addition of the hazard perception test in 2002.