LEARNER drivers will be put to the test with sat nav instructions as part of a string of new measures being introduced from the end of the year.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is introducing a new test from Monday, December 4 - which is designer to assess the quality of learners under “more realistic” circumstances.

It will include instructions from a satnav, an extended independent driving period of 20 minutes and a new set of manoeuvres to test the ability of learners in busy areas.

Tariq Musaji, 49, owner of Wickford-based Farrah Driver Training, said he will continue teaching the existing turn in the road and reverse around a corner manoeuvres - despite them being ousted from the test.

Instead, learner drivers will be asked to pull up on the right-hand side of the road, reverse for two car lengths and rejoin the traffic. Mr Musaji argued that this is against the highway code.

He said: “We will still be teaching the manoeuvres in the previous test. They don’t have to be perfect, but it is a needed skill in some instances.

“Sat navs have been a cause of a lot of accidents for new drivers because they do not get the proper training, especially on complex roundabouts and junctions. If you look away for one second, you can crash.”

Mr Musaji added that more should be done to train learners to drive on motorways. They currently have to opt for additional training after passing their test.

His comments were echoed by confused.com. A survey of 2,000 drivers found three out of four people want a motorway section to be added to the test. Two in three are in favour of making learners drive at night.

Motoring editor Amanda Stretton said: “Drivers believe more practical changes should have been included in the new updates set to be implemented in December to help improve the quality of driving on our roads.

“This could help to minimise stress levels, road rage and the risk of accidents, providing all drivers an easy ride.”

In April, the government said that the new changes will save lives.

The DVSA have been trialling the changes for the past two years.

It claims that reducing the focus on slow speed manoeuvres on quiet roads and applying the time to more common daily elements of driving could help reduce the chances of new drivers crashing.