Sweden steers towards tougher driving tests

Sweden's trade ministry has called for the national driving test's risk training section to be doubled from four to eight hours.

Published: 29 January 2008 07:53 CET

The planned change will make it more expensive to get a driving licence in Sweden, Svenska Dagbladet reports.

Risk training currently consists for the most part of driving on icy surfaces. But from next April, testers will also assess attitudes to alcohol, drugs, speeding, safety belts and tiredness.

“We have young people who have travelled all over the world and been to places where it’s ok to to drink a couple of beers before sitting behind the wheel. That’s not the case in Sweden.

“And if everybody stuck to the prescribed speed limits we would save 150 lives a year,” Infrastructure Minister Åsa Torstensson, citing the Swedish Road Administration, told Svenska Dagbladet.