The BBC's Tim Hirsch braves the new driving test

The new version of the test is longer, and for the first time candidates can be failed even if they only commit minor driving faults.

Previously, there was no set limit for small faults, but the new regulations state that any candidate guilty of more than 15 minor errors will fail.

Test 'modernised'

As before, one serious or dangerous fault will also result in failure.

The changes also mean that candidates taking the new test, which will now last for about 40 minutes, will spend more time driving on higher speed roads to demonstrate how they cope with faster-moving traffic.

Other changes include:

• Only one in three candidates being asked to do emergency stops
• Candidates being asked, where practical, to perform reverse parking at any time
• A printed, as well as verbal, explanation of the results of the test
• A voluntary logbook for instructors and learners to record a learner's progress

The Driving Standards Agency says the changes are helping to modernise the test, which has not altered much since it was introduced in 1935.

But some driving instructors and safety organisations do not think the new regulations are tough enough.

Motoring organisation the Automobile Association (AA) has welcomed the changes.

The changes mean more time at the wheel during the test

AA Driving School Spokeswoman Rebecca Hadley said: "Devoting more time to driving in the test will expose critical weaknesses such as observation skills.

"The longer that candidates are on the road, the more they are inclined to relax, revealing the strengths - or weaknesses - that might come out in everyday driving."

But Graham Fryer, of the Driving Instructors' Association, said: "It's a step in the right direction, there's no question about that, but nobody in Britain learns to drive - people go to a driving instructor to learn tips on how to pass the driving test.

"What we need is re-testing, and we need more emphasis on training."

Dave Rogers, road safety adviser for the Royal Society of the Prevention of Accidents, said his organisation wanted to see compulsory use of logbooks and the reassessment of novice drivers two years after they have passed their test.

He said: "Novice drivers have more accidents than other road users ... so they should be reassessed to ensure they have maintained safe driving habits."