Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of driver training and testing in preparing drivers to undertake safe overtaking of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) on (a) rural roads and (b) motorways; what information her Department holds on the involvement of unsafe overtaking manoeuvres in collisions involving HGVs; and whether she plans to change the DVSA (i) theory test, (ii) hazard perception test, and (iii) practical driving test to improve assessment of safe overtaking and lane discipline on multi-lane carriageways.

The Department publishes several data sets on collisions that can be viewed on GOV.UK. The RAS0503: Vehicle type and manoeuvre report includes figures on the number of vehicles that were overtaking another vehicle at the time of their collision. However, this does not specify what type of vehicle they were overtaking, or if the collision was a result of an unsafe overtaking manoeuvre.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) requires approved driving instructors (ADI) and approved training bodies (ATB) to train learner driver and riders to the National Standards. This includes teaching learners to recognise and manage the additional risks when overtaking HGVs, including on rural roads and motorways. DVSA has no current plans to change how learners are trained or how the agency examines learner drivers and riders on their practical tests.

Both the multiple-choice and hazard perception elements already include questions on safely following, and overtaking, HGVs in a range of situations. DVSA keeps the driving and riding theory and practical test under continuous review.

The agency also encourages ADIs to include motorway driving as part of their instruction to learner drivers.