Tougher test may reduce premiums for new motorists

Newly qualified motorists are not properly prepared to drive in real life conditions because the driving test in the UK is out of date, instructors and novice drivers have claimed.

Direct Line Car Insurance conducted a study which uncovered that three-quarters (75 per cent) of all UK driving instructors believe current driving test standards do not adequately prepare new drivers for the hazardous road scenarios they will encounter. Many instructors feel that new drivers are particularly weak in the areas of rural, motorway and night-time driving.

Similarly, nine out of ten (89 per cent) young drivers who have passed their test in the last two years felt that a tougher test would have been in their ultimate interest and would more adequately have prepared them for life on the road. Of the UK’s 33 million road users, 54 per cent said that they found the driving test too easy when they took it, and 21 per cent admitted that they felt incapable of driving alone immediately after passing the test.

Somewhat alarmingly, 11 per cent of all the drivers surveyed admitted that they still feel uncomfortable driving at night, 11 per cent said they daren’t venture onto the motorway and 25 per cent tried to avoid driving at all on icy roads because they never learnt the correct way to drive under such conditions. Nearly a quarter admitted to being involved in a car accident in the first two years after passing their test, while an additional 17 per cent claimed to have had at least one near miss.

“Road crashes are the number one killer of people in their teens and twenties in the UK,” said Emma Hoyler, a spokeswoman for Direct Line. “The Direct Line study has revealed the extent to which people feel the driving test has under-prepared them for the roads, and in the interests of safety, we are calling on the Driving Standards Agency to improve the test.”

Lower premiums

With a lack of experience in hazardous situations the primary contributing factor to higher insurance premiums for new drivers, a tougher test could see a reduction in the cost of insurance.

Premiums are calculated based on age and experience and a young driver needs to accrue both in order to lower his or her premiums.

The current system affords drivers with the opportunity to gain experience in a wider variety of areas by taking a Pass Plus course. This advanced course is run by the Driving Standards Agency and tests drivers in scenarios such as night-time and motorway driving.

Motorists who take a Pass Plus course can reduce their premiums by an average equivalent to one year’s no-claims discount. If the standard driving test was made to include similar scenario testing, it is likely that drivers could see a similar reduction in their motor insurance premiums.

The Government is in the process of considering changes to the existing driving test. One proposal is to adopt a system similar to that of Sweden, where drivers are required to complete 120 hours of training before taking their test.