Changes to Driving Test Scraped

Changes proposed by the government to make the driving test tougher on young people have been scraped.

The changes would have brought in a probationary licence for the first 12 months. a curfew on driving late at night and compulsory lessons on motorway driving. It was hoped that by bringing in the new rules they would reduce the number of road deaths among the young. At the moment more than a fifth of road deaths in Britain in 2012 involved drivers aged 17-24.

The changes were dropped as the Department of Transport was worried that it would negatively impact on young drivers ability to get to work, training, education or leisure activities – this could potentially restrict their job opportunities and increase the costs associated with getting to work.

Reaction to the changes being scrapped have so far been mixed. Some have commented that elements such as the motorway driving instruction would have been beneficial while that the restriction to drivers freedom would have been to far.

Image sourced from The Telegraph