MAJOR changes could be made to the driving test in a bid to crackdown on the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are consulting on the changes until tomorrow.

They believe the proposed new measures will help make a better assessment of the candidate's ability to drive independently in modern driving conditions.

What changes are due to be made?

  • Increase the independent driving part of the test from 10 to 20 minutes. This is the part where you drive by following traffic signs, verbal directions or both.
  • Ask candidates to follow directions from a sat nav Replace the ‘reverse around a corner’ and ‘turn in the road’ manoeuvres with more real-life scenarios, eg driving into and reversing out of a parking bay
  • Ask one of the two vehicle safety questions (known as the ‘show me, tell me’ questions) while the candidate is driving, eg asking them to use the rear heated screen.

Why are the changes being made?

The DVSA say road collisions are the biggest killer of young people, accounting for more than a quarter of all deaths of those aged between 15 and 19.

They want to ensure that training and the driving test reduce the number of young people being killed in collisions.

Most fatal collisions happen on high-speed roads, not including motorways and changing the format of the test will allow for more of these types of roads to be included in the test routes.

More people are using sat navs - 52 per cent - and the DVSA want them to be trained to use them safely.

Research has shown that new drivers find 'independent driving' valuable - they can relate it to driving once they've passed their test.

How is this being trialled?

More than 4,500 learner drivers and 850 instructors have been taking part in a trial at 32 locations across Great Britain. That trial is due to end later in 2016. A full report will be published following this.

Who is backing this?

Driving instructor associations, the RAC, the Institute of Advanced Motorists, The Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents and the AA have reportedly taken part in the trial and are 'positive and supportive' of the changes.

Driving Instructors Association CEO, Carly Brookfield, said: "We fully welcome the developments to the test and are compelled by the evidence we have seen to date from the trial to recommend that these long overdue developments are made to a driving test - which has been fundamentally unchanged for over 20 years and has not kept pace with how our roads and driver behaviour has developed over time."

Head of BSM, Mark Peacock, said: "The proposed changes to the practical driving test, particularly the extended independent driving and use of a sat nav, should help to produce better, safer motorists. We have already had positive feedback from our instructors and their pupils and therefore fully support these proposed changes."

AA president, Edmund King OBE, said: "We know that new drivers are a higher risk on the roads, therefore we need to better prepare them for real-world driving. These changes will test drivers in a more realistic manner which is essential to improving their safety once their L plates are removed."

To view the consultation and comment, go to https://www.gov.uk/government/news/driving-test-changes-plans-revealed-to-improve-road-safety