Road safety groups hail plan to allow learner drivers on motorways

New scheme will see a £2m fund set up to improve driver education

Learner drivers will be given motorway experience with an instructor before they can pass their test under new plans announced by the Government (PA)

Learner drivers could be allowed to drive on the motorway for the first time under new government plans to be announced on 22 December.

The scheme announced by the Department of Transport will see a £2m fund set up to improve driver education - which will include giving learner drivers the chance to practice on a motorway with an approved driving instructor before their test.

The proposal also includes a £750,000 grant to police forces across the UK to tackle drug-driving and £50m grant to support Bikeability training in schools over the next four years.

In 2014, there was a four per cent increase in the number of deaths on Britain’s roads rising to 1,775 and the number of people severely injured rose five per cent to 22,807 people.

One in five young drivers have an accident within six months of passing their test, according to the RAC.

Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin said: “Britain has some of the safest roads in the world but we are always looking to improve that record.

“Today we are delivering common sense proposals that balance tougher penalties for dangerous drivers with practical steps to help youngsters and other more vulnerable groups stay safe on our roads.”

The Director of Communications at Road Safety GB - a national road safety organisation - Iain Temperton, welcomed the move saying learner drivers did not have the skills to cope with driving on motorways alone when they first pass their test.

He told the Independent: “Clearly we do want the best educated drivers possible so those taking to the roads have the information and knowledge that they need with the modern road network.

“As long it is under the instruction of a registered driving instructor and not a family member for example I think it would be of benefit to the road using public.”

Mr Temperton - who is himself a qualified driving instructor - said legislation would have to be put in place to ensure that only learners who were nearly ready to pass their test would allowed on the motorway.

This could mean learners could only go out onto the motorway when they had a certain number of hours of lessons or had passed their theory test so they “at least has theoretical knowledge [of the motorway]”.

It comes as the government announced plans to increase the fines levy on people caught using their mobile phone while driving.

Fixed penalty fines could be raised from £100 to £150 and the number of points added to licences could rise from three to four. For drivers of large HGVs this could rise from three to six to reflect the damage a HGV can do.

According to the Department of Transport, using a mobile phone to call or text was a “contributory factor” in 21 deaths in 2014.

Nazan Fennell, whose 13-year-old daughter Hope was killed by a texting HGV driver in 2011, welcomed the proposal telling the BBC "none of those texts of calls are really worth someone's life - especially a child's.

"Hope was trapped under the wheels at the front of the vehicle for about 20 minutes and nobody could help because of the size of the vehicle. She was only little - it was just terrible.”

A series of consultations on the proposals are due to take place next year.

Government plans to increase finds for drivers using mobile phones

Tougher fines should be levied at drivers caught using a mobile phone to make a call or send a text, the Government has said.

The use of mobiles while driving was a “contributory factor” in 21 deaths in 2014, figures from the Department for Transport revealed.

Nazan Fennell, whose 13-year-old daughter Hope was killed in 2011 by an HGV driver who was texting while driving, welcomed the proposal, telling the BBC: “None of those texts or calls are really worth someone’s life – especially a child’s.”

The Government is planning to increase fixed penalty fines from £100 to £150.