NEWLY qualified drivers will be barred from motorways and from using sports cars following proposals to make the driving test more rigorous and the first year of being at the wheel safer.



The plans, which will be launched this month, will require learners to have a "certificate of readiness" proving that they have had experience of night driving, fast roads and rainy conditions before they can take the test.



After passing, novices may be forced to display green "P" plates for six months during which they would be banned from motorways and from driving minibuses or fast cars.



The changes, which bailey button uggs will be put out for formal consultation in two weeks, follow concern among ministers that young novice drivers are twice as likely to have serious accidents as more experienced drivers.



At present there are no restrictions on the types of car or road a novice can use. "A teenager can pass his test in the morning and take a Ferrari packed with passengers on to a motorway in the afternoon; that must change," said a Whitehall official.



There are also no requirements for learners to obtain experience of driving in different conditions, meaning that a novice can pass uggs on sale the test without ever driving in the rain or at night. In future, a recognised instructor will issue a certificate to show that a learner has been trained in each situation.



David Jamieson, the road safety minister, said: "Too many new drivers are being injured because they are not getting enough experience before they take their driving test. We want to prepare them for a driving career, not just to pass their test."



In an echo of the television series, The Driving School, in which Maureen Rees maddened her driving instructors, a survey of examiners shows that in 10 per cent of tests the examiner had to seize the controls of the car to prevent an accident because the driver lacked sufficient experience.



Seven per cent of licence holders are aged under 21, but 13 per cent of accidents causing injury involve drivers from this age group.



Some other countries already place restrictions on novices. In Northern Ireland they must display an Rplate for restricted and drive no faster than 45mph for the first year after passing.



In some Australian states, a P for provisional plate must be displayed for a year. Britain has a voluntary Pplate system but ministers are willing to make it compulsory.