Tougher driving tests could curb road congestion, report suggests

Recommendations for traffic reduction made in Transport Committee's report 'Out of the Jam'

A Transport Committee report has made recommendations on how to curb congestion on UK roads, including making driving tests more rigorous.

'Out of the Jam: reducing congestion on our roads' is the report of an inquiry undertaken by the Transport Committee that examined options for curbing congestion without road building or road pricing.

The Transport Committee sets out a series of recommendations to the government about how it could curb congestion and get more out of the existing road network.

Along with the recommendations to make driver tests more rigorous to ensure young drivers are better trained and safer, recommendations were also made to make The Highway Code more readily available to all road users.

It is suggested that a leaflet should be posted to drivers with tax disk or licence renewal letters and other correspondence, drawing attention to the code and highlighting any recent changes.

A free Highway Code 'App' which gives information about the Highway Code is also recommended.

The report also suggests that the Department for Transport should decide what real-time travel information should be made available from local authorities and the Highways Agency to motorists and what should be provided by the private sector.

Committee Chair Louise Ellman said: "Congestion costs the economy billions of pounds each year. Improving the way we manage road space so that the network runs more smoothly is vital to the prosperity of the nation."

"Ministers must also clarify who is responsible for warning road users about impending congestion and work with the transport industry and authorities to increase the availability of such information to drivers through greater use of existing, successful ''intelligent traffic management' systems across local authority boundaries."

Further information:
Transport Committee