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Despite Britain having the lowest crash casualty rates in the

 world, newly-qualified motorists have slammed the learn-to-drive

 regime for putting them on the roads with too little training

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L-Plate System Fails the Road Test Say Young Drivers

March 16, 2004

Newly-qualified motorists have slammed the learn to drive regime for putting them on the roads with too little training.

Four in five young drivers told Autoglass researchers they reckon they're a danger to other road users despite having passed their test. And six in ten claim they were trained just to pass the test rather than drive safely.

Now, as the driving licence reaches its 70th anniversary, newly-qualified motorists are calling for a radical overhaul of the L-plate system.

They say they're horrified by some of the on-the-road experiences the test hasn't prepared them for and are calling for driving lessons and tests to include motorway and night driving and handling dangerous situations.

Nigel Doggett, managing director of Autoglass said: "Young drivers have made it clear that the learn to drive regime - which is founded on a test set up in 1935 and based on motoring conditions at the time - now leaves them feeling ill-prepared and unsafe on today's roads.

"They have the basic skills needed to pass their tests but their concern is that, without the experience to spot hazards or judge situations, they are a risk to themselves and other road users."

The Autoglass report reveals that today's L-drivers only drive the equivalent of two round trips between London and Birmingham before passing their test. Four in ten have less than five hours practice without their instructor.

Once they have passed, seven in ten describe driving alone as nerve-wracking. Despite this, over half admit they speed, two in five say they can't judge situations and a third say their driving is erratic.

Four in five say they're a risk to themselves, their passengers and other drivers. And three-quarters say they're a risk to pedestrians.

Doggett said: "If the next generation of learners is to drive more safely, the learn to drive regime must help them face the same difficult driving situations as they will find on the UK's roads."

Autoglass, working with the Institute of Advanced Motorists, has prepared a five-step plan to help learners gain the experience they will need to drive safely (see below).

The five-step plan:

• Get another, more experienced driver to take you out at night, in bad weather or with passengers in the car.
  

• Ask your instructor or another driver to take you on the motorway for the first time.
  

• Always aim to stay [at least] two seconds behind the car in front [four seconds if the road is wet].
  

• Expect the unexpected, like cars stopping out of the blue at roundabouts or overtaking as you cross a line of traffic.
  

• After passing your test, make some trips simply to practise your driving.
  

Source: Autoglass

DSA Comments:  This truly is an interesting result, for more reasons than one.

     Firstly, the UK has a remarkably good road safety record by comparison with other countries, despite several factors which should make it worse, not better (such as very crowded roads, relatively high speed limits, a preponderance of small cars, etc.) so it is rather pleasing that young drivers still recognise the inadequacies of their skills and the need for more learning. (See comparative road safety figures for 30 countries here.)

     Secondly, the British driving test and learner (US: 'student driver') regime is relatively rigorous by comparison with most countries (though by all accounts the German test is the hardest) so again it is interesting that young drivers see the need for more training, complete -- undeniably -- with the additional extra expense.