L-test to spend more time on faster roads

> The government hopes that driving test changes will better prepare young drivers to deal with faster conditions on rural roads

- NEIL LANCEFIELD

DRIVING test candidates in Britain will be required to spend longer on faster roads during tests.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said it is making the change from November 24 to better represent the conditions many motorists experience after passing their test, such as driving on rural roads.

A five-month trial of the switch was conducted at 20 test centres across Britain earlier this year.

Nearly half (48%) of crashes involving car drivers aged between 17 and 24 where someone was killed or seriously injured between 2019 and 2023 took place on rural roads, a House of Commons Library briefing document shows. That is compared with 42% for drivers outside that age range.

Roads minister Simon Lightwood said: "We're doing all we can to make our roads safer.