AA aids error-prone new drivers

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The AA is to offer free courses to drivers who have accidents or get points on their licence within 12 months of passing their test.

The announcement comes as figures show 20% of new drivers have a crash in their first year on the road.

The AA says unsafe driving kills more young people than drugs or knife crime.

Its president Edmund King said: "The statistics are staggering. There are problems after the test, some down to attitude and some down to experience."

He added: "If we could do some of that in their test - and in their training before they have even passed their test - that would help."

The charity Brake has called for the testing system to be completely overhauled.

It believes the government should do more to protect youngsters and claims a "graduated licensing scheme" would allow drivers to build up their skills over a longer period of time.

We need people to pass a test, not drive with restrictions Department for Transport spokeswoman That scheme is used in Australia, Canada and New Zealand and increasingly across the United States.

However the Department for Transport (DfT) is opposed to graduated licensing. It says a system that would allow young drivers to initially drive without passengers, or only on certain roads, would be unworkable.

"We need people to pass a test, not drive with restrictions," said a spokeswoman.

Last year a pilot scheme was announced in Scotland to allow students aged 14 and over to gain a qualification in safe road use, as part of separate proposals to reform the driving test system.

The foundation course could be extended across Britain if successful and would cover the Highway Code, planning journeys, social attitude, peer pressure, fatigue, being safe on the road and eco-driving.

Other ideas include post-test courses, for example in motorway use, which could cut drivers' insurance rates.

The DfT, which will reveal changes to the test later this year, said it wanted to create "a culture of extended and advanced learning".

It added: "We take the safety issues associated with novice drivers extremely seriously, which is why we are fundamentally overhauling the driver training and testing regime."