International driving test standards and road safety

Motion Text

That this House expresses deep concern at the rising number of road safety incidents involving foreign drivers using licences that have not been tested against UK standards; notes that motorists from outside the EU and EEA are permitted to drive on British roads for up to 12 months using a foreign licence, regardless of whether their testing standards are equivalent to those required in the UK; recognises that this situation creates unnecessary risk for UK road users; and calls on the Government to bring forward proposals to shorten the grace period according to the quality of the issuing country’s licensing regime and to consider foreign drivers to undertake a basic online theory test to ensure familiarity with the Highway Code before driving on UK roads.