Driving test for 'white van man'

A "white van man" and a high mileage salesman, together blamed for 67% of UK road accidents, are to be put through their paces at Northants police HQ.

The pair, both volunteers, will be assessed by police, then put through an AA risk management test before going out on the road under observation.

Their performances will be discussed before a re-assessment by police at the end of the experiment on Tuesday.

The objective is to show that even the worst drivers can improve, police said.

'Educating' drivers

Roger Williams of the AA said: "These drivers are excellent at their jobs but like many business drivers have not been blame free.

"They have clocked up endorsement points for occasional misdemeanours, caused by work pressures and impatience with other road users."

He said that by the end of the day the pair will have been "put through their paces" by police in the hope they show "a marked improvement in their driving".

PC John Spencer, senior casualty reduction officer for Northamptonshire Police, said it was an exercise in educating business drivers.

"Less is more in terms of speed in getting to meetings or scheduled appointments because it will save lives and money for their businesses in the long term," he said.