Driving tests should include more about cycling hazards

Driving tests should include more about cycling hazards

Road safety charity IAM (The Institute for Advanced Motorists) have said this month that Britain’s driving tests are inadequate and do not fully prepare new drivers for the dangers on the roads.
The IAM want to see more information about cycling included in both the theory and practical tests.

They believe that more cycling scenarios in hazard perception tests are required and that more questions about behaving around and sharing the road with cyclists should be included in theory tests.
Poor road and weather conditions, driving during the night, and driving on country roads should also be tested before a new driver is given a license, they said. They are the most common risks faced by new drivers within their first six months of driving, but are not currently included in the test.
The charity also wants to see a system of phases of tests replace the single test that is required before a new driver is able to drive alone. They highlight the Austrian system as evidence of the success of this, where the compulsory tests that are taken 12 months after a driver’s first have resulted in a drop in casualties amongst young male drivers by a third.
Earlier this month, the charity also said that they wished to see more road safety education included in the national curriculum in order to decrease fatalities and injuries on UK roads.
They stated that information about cycling safety would be included. Road safety education is currently voluntary in schools in the UK, but compulsory in eight in 15 countries across Europe.

The IAM believe that it is crucial that it becomes part of the curriculum, so that schools are obliged to teach it.
Rebecca Montague, Personal Injury Solicitor in Redcar comments ‘Cycling has seen a surge in popularity, particularly since the Tour de France commenced in Yorkshire last year.

With more cyclists on the road, it makes sense for drivers to be made better aware and educated as to how to drive safely and share the road. Cyclists are vulnerable on our roads and drivers need to give them plenty of room. When overtaking a cyclist they should be given as much room as if you were overtaking a car.’

Sources:
road.cc

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