Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of driver (a) training and (b) testing requirements for overtaking large vehicles; and if she will take steps to improve learner driver education to help prevent unsafe overtaking.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) encourages candidates preparing for their theory and practical test to understand and revise the source materials for the test, which includes The Highway Code and The Official DVSA Guide to Driving: The Essential Skills. DVSA also recommends that learner drivers practice overtaking other vehicles where road and traffic conditions provide the opportunity to do so safely when learning to drive.

Rules 162 to 169 of the Highway code cover overtaking in detail, with rule 164 specifically covering overtaking large vehicles.

The Theory test (including both the multiple choice and hazard perception parts of the theory test) and the practical driving test are designed to complement each other, ensuring new drivers have both the theoretical understanding and the practical skills needed to drive safely and responsibly.