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Young Drivers May Face Tougher Driving Tests
 Tougher driving tests for young drivers are being considered by the Government to cut the number of road crashes.
Lessons on public roads from the age of 16 and the inclusion of safe driving principles in the school curriculum are also being looked at.
But limiting the amount of driving that newly-passed young drivers can do has been ruled out by the Government.
Instead, the Department for Transport (DfT) is keen to ensure that young motorists are encouraged to drive responsibly before passing their test.
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA), the body responsible for the driving test, has been asked by the DfT to review the testing and training regime for drivers.
One possible change could be an expansion of the existing 40-minute practical driving test into two stages.
The new-look test might cover a broader range of skills, including driving at night and on different types of road.
A DfT spokeswoman said today: "We have one of the toughest driving tests in the world and we think driving instructors offer drivers very good training.
But we have all seen the statistics for young driver accidents and this is something that we need to take seriously and have a look at."
"We don't believe that temporary control measures, such as having a curfew on night driving for newly-passed young motorists, are the best way forward as they do not necessarily change drivers' attitudes and most revert to their original behaviour.
"We have asked the DSA to come back with the review as soon as possible but it's still rather early days on all this and nothing has been decided yet."
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