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Road Safety Officials Celebrate 75 Years Of Driving Test
Wed, 02 Jun 2010

British officials are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the country's first driving test .

The driving test turned 75 on Tuesday June 1, and to help highlight the major milestone official figures have been released showing how much safer UK roads have become since the introduction of compulsory testing nearly three-quarters of a century ago.

According to the data, 7,343 people were killed on the roads in 1934 – a year before the introduction of the driver's test. At the time there were 1.5 million cars on the roads.

In comparison, the number of road related fatalities totalled 2,538 in 2008, a year which saw some 34 million cars hit UK roads.

Road safety minister Mike Penning commented: "The driving test is not just a rite of passage, it has helped save thousands of lives on our roads."

"The test and the learning needed to pass it are a vital part of giving drivers the skills they need to drive efficiently and safely."

"High standards of driver training and assessment are an essential contribution to helping Britain's roads remain among the safest in the world."

J Beene was the first driver to pass the test following its introduction on June 1 1935. The driving theory test wasn’t introduced until some 61 years later in July 1996.
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