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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Harder driving tests considered | Harder driving tests considered |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The government is looking into the possibility of much harder driving tests to improve road safety. | The government is looking into the possibility of much harder driving tests to improve road safety. |
| Options to be considered include education in safe driving being introduced into the school curriculum, the Times reports. | Options to be considered include education in safe driving being introduced into the school curriculum, the Times reports. |
| Also being looked at is the Swedish system under which drivers undergo 120 hours of training before taking a test. | Also being looked at is the Swedish system under which drivers undergo 120 hours of training before taking a test. |
| Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman said that too often "you first learn to pass the test and then you learn to drive". | |
| The Driving Standards Agency is looking at ways of improving road safety with a consultation likely later in the year. The Department for Transport said no firm proposals had yet been put forward. | The Driving Standards Agency is looking at ways of improving road safety with a consultation likely later in the year. The Department for Transport said no firm proposals had yet been put forward. |
| But Mr Ladyman told the Times: "We may need to start doing driver education while young people are still at school, introducing them to the rules, dangers and responsibilities of the road at a much earlier age. | But Mr Ladyman told the Times: "We may need to start doing driver education while young people are still at school, introducing them to the rules, dangers and responsibilities of the road at a much earlier age. |
| "We have developed this attitude that you first learn to pass the test and then you learn to drive. | "We have developed this attitude that you first learn to pass the test and then you learn to drive. |
| "It's an option to have more formal training. We have to debate whether there should be some level of compulsion." | "It's an option to have more formal training. We have to debate whether there should be some level of compulsion." |
| School curriculum | School curriculum |
| A revamped test could be one of the reforms, he said: "It may need to be expanded significantly and made much more thorough." | A revamped test could be one of the reforms, he said: "It may need to be expanded significantly and made much more thorough." |
| Studies by the Department for Transport have suggested that young men are the most successful at the test itself - but that those aged 17-20 are almost 10 times more likely to die or be seriously injured while driving compared with men aged 40-59. | Studies by the Department for Transport have suggested that young men are the most successful at the test itself - but that those aged 17-20 are almost 10 times more likely to die or be seriously injured while driving compared with men aged 40-59. |