In reality this means that instructors will have to follow a form of curriculum, ticking off completed key skills.  For instance, use of high speed roads and  night-driving.  This could mean learners having to spend up to 500 hours behind the wheel before taking the full test.

Experienced traffic police officers believe this will make the roads safer for the new driver and other road users.  Educating new drivers to be safety concious on our ever busier roads.  More time to practice under supervision cannot be overlooked.

At present drivers, once having required the basic practical skill of controlling a vehicle and completed their theory test could effectively just take six lessons and apply for a test and pass.

Road Safety graphs show that one in five new young drivers will have an accident in their first year after acquiring thier full licence.  Invariably many will be killed or seriously injured.  France faced the same problem some years ago with a spiralling death toll of through teenagers drinking and inexperience. They brought in requirements for new drivers to display D plates (debutante-new driver), only one other passenger in the car, limited to speeds of no more than 80 kph (50mph) and no use of autoroutes (motorways).  However in France there are many private driving centres where drivers are put through high speed braking and avoidance of objects and even placed on to a skidpan.  This will hone their skills.

The driving test should include and take account of the changing driving condtiions and the handling of different vehicles.  Traffic police officers appreciate that longer times for instruction will inevitably increase the cost of driving lessons.  They suggest a fixed fee for the course.  Another  idea put forward is a discount for drivers who have passed the extended test.

It is at this time that the government should consider a limited engine size for new drivers within the first year as in France.  No-one really wants a new driver with plenty of cash to career around the streets in a BMW M3, Cleo V6 or the popular 4X4's.

Britain is not alone with teenage drivers.  Following is some statistics from the American Auto Association (AAA) with teenagers in mind.

• In the decade of the 1990s, 63,000 teens ages 15-19 died in traffic crashes, which is more than 120 each week.
• Two teens in a car increases the likelihood of a crash by 86%, three teens by 182%, according to research conducted by Johns Hopkins University.
• 25% of teen drivers killed in 2003 had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or greater. A BAC of .08 is the level which all States define as drunk driving.
• Only about 20% of teen driving occurred at night, but approximately 50% of teen fatalities (those occurring with a teenager at the wheel) occurred during the hours of darkness.
• Young drivers are involved in fatal traffic crashes at over twice the rate as the rest of the population.
• Exceeding the legal speed limit or driving at an unsafe speed is the most common error in fatal accidents.
• 53% of teen car deaths occur on weekends.
• Two-thirds of the teenagers who died in car accidents last year were not buckled up.
• About 30 % of crashes killing young drivers involve alcohol.