20 July 2001: Substantial numbers of newly qualified drivers forget what they have learned, new findings suggest.

In a specially conducted survey, 39% of drivers said they not remember the equivalent of the rules of the road or highway code particularly well while two-in-five 17-24-year-olds admitted to having serious gaps in their knowledge.

The survey, based on interviews with 2,000 drivers, found That 46% of drivers aged over 50 said they lacked vital knowledge.

Only 9% of drivers aged 45-54 knew the exact stopping distance of a car travelling at 30mph, while only 6% of those who had recently passed their test were able to give the correct stopping figure of 75 feet.

More than half (52%) of motorists with up to four years' driving experience would be willing to sign up for a refresher course every 10 years, the survey found, while having a child would encourage 42% of men and 45% of women to seek supplementary tuition to make them more-responsible drivers. FCC