Road safety minister Mike Penning has announced that learners will be able to take to the motorways, but only in driving lessons and if a qualified instructor accompanies them.

Julie Townsend, Brake campaigns director said: “It’s positive the government is looking at measures to reduce risk and develop skills among newly licensed drivers. Young drivers are involved in a huge proportion of crashes that kill and seriously injure because of their inexperience coupled with the tendency of many to take risks. However, simply allowing learners to take instruction on motorways doesn’t go far enough. To reduce the devastating crashes and casualties that involve young drivers, we recommend wider reform of our learning to drive system, including a minimum learning period and restrictions for novice drivers, to protect them from the most dangerous situations. This approach of ‘graduated driver licensing’ has worked in other countries and there is evidence it would dramatically reduce casualties in the UK too.”