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Drivers 'need a year of lessons' Drivers 'need a year of lessons'
(1 day later)
Learner drivers should take lessons for a minimum of 12 months according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Learner drivers should take lessons for a minimum of 12 months, the Association of British Insurers has suggested.
The plans are backed by motoring and safety groups, such as the RAC Foundation, which said they would lead to 1,000 fewer road casualties a year. The ABI says the measure could cut up to 1,000 serious injuries and deaths among UK drivers aged 17-21 each year.
The proposals are intended to reduce the high numbers of young drivers killed or injured on Britain's roads. It is also calling for limits on passenger numbers and driving at night for newly qualified motorists as part of a safety campaign.
But the Department of Transport said it wanted to influence new drivers with incentives instead of regulation. The Department for Transport said new drivers were encouraged to participate in a further scheme to build up skills.
The plans were announced at a motoring conference organised by the ABI. "The driving test has been considerably strengthened in recent years and is one of the most demanding in the world," a spokesman said.
Stephen Haddril, director general of the ABI, said: "Every day, four people are killed or seriously injured in crashes involving young drivers. "It takes longer to qualify for a driving licence than it used to. Candidates receive more professional training leading up to the test than ever before."
He added: "We work closely with the insurance industry to influence the behaviour of young and newly-qualified drivers through incentives rather than regulation."
Recently, the insurance company firm More Than offered to cut its charges for any young motorists who agreed not to drive at night between 2300 and 0600.
'Getting worse''Getting worse'
Road safety organisations Brake, Roadsafe and Make Roads Safe, the RAC Foundation and the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety have joined the ABI in calling for the shake-up - in varying degrees - of learner driver regulations.
Only 6% of licence holders are aged 17-24 but they account for more than 27% of all deaths and serious injuries on the roads.
According to research quoted by the ABI, young drivers with passengers are more likely to engage in "competitive" driving or show off to friends.
Stephen Haddrill, director general of the ABI, said: "Every day four people are killed or seriously injured in crashes involving young drivers.
"The trend is getting worse not better."The trend is getting worse not better.
ABI PROPOSALS Minimum learning periodStructured learning programmeReduced passenger numbersLimits on driving at night Mother's sentencing call
"We urge the government to adopt these proposals to improve safety on our roads and reduce this tragic loss of life.""We urge the government to adopt these proposals to improve safety on our roads and reduce this tragic loss of life."
Other measures suggested include limiting the number of passengers carried by young drivers during their first few months on the road, and getting learners to record their hours and performance in a logbook. The coalition is also proposing a "structured learning programme" which would see young drivers record their hours and performance in a logbook.
A Department for Transport spokesman said the government treated the safety of newly qualified and young drivers very seriously. Three-month period?
"The driving test has been considerably strengthened in recent years and is one of the most demanding in the world. It proposes a minimum learning period but does not specify a length of time. The ABI said 12 months would be an "ideal scenario".
"It takes longer to qualify for a driving licence than it used to. HAVE YOUR SAY Restrict the engine size allowed after passing Karen White, York href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=3903&edition=1" class="">Send us your views But the RAC Foundation is not convinced there are benefits in insisting learners should take lessons for that long.
"Candidates receive more professional training leading up to the test than ever before." "I can readily appreciate the benefits perhaps of a three-month learning period," said the RAC Foundation's Kevin Delaney.
Robert Gifford, of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, which supports the ABI proposals, said too many young drivers were still killed or injured, despite some progress being made. "I'm not sure a 12-month learning period is the right way to go. It's probably going to be too long for many and may result in them not taking lessons or falling off the edge."
He said: "The proposals outlined here offer a way forward for this apparently intractable problem. Learner drivers interviewed on BBC One's Breakfast expressed concerns about the potential cost of taking lessons for a year.
"I hope that the government will give them the serious consideration they deserve." In 2004, a government consultation concluded an enforced learning period would impact on young people in rural areas.
The road safety groups Brake, Roadsafe and the Make Roads Safe Campaign also backed the plans.