More than a third of parents think the minimum driving age of 17 should be increased, according to a survey.

The parents reckoned that 17 was simply too young an age to be driving, the poll from Asda Money showed.

As many as 62% of the 1,054 polled believed 17-year-olds did not understand the dangers of driving, while 58% felt these young motorists were not responsible enough to be on the road.

Just 8% of the parents agreed that the current driving test equipped teenagers for the reality of driving and 35% believed that the test should be put back by at least three years to make sure young people were properly prepared for the roads.

In the eyes of parents, the top areas on which the driving test was failing to educate young people was driving abroad (79%), motorway driving (70%), travelling long distances (68%) and driving with people in the car (73%).


Parents' fears also included their children driving in bad weather. Driving in snowy or icy conditions had 72% of parents worried, while 68% believed that tackling foggy conditions was not something that their children would be able to do.


Asda Money insurance head Michael Turner said: "For any parent, seeing their children drive off for the first time is a worrying thought, particularly as the majority don't believe that the driving test is fit for purpose.

"It remains to be seen whether young drivers are given the right skills to handle the realities of our roads and clearly more needs to be done to make sure they can handle difficult driving conditions."