Learner drivers sitting their theory tests are facing a new challenge.

Candidates are to be presented with 14 film clips and will have to spot the hazards as they appear on the screen in order to pass their test.

The Driving Standards Agency, based in Nottingham, is hoping the new module will cut the number of deaths and people seriously injured on UK roads.

L-plate drivers will still have to pass a multiple choice written examination to receive their licence.

The driving test will include a computer module

Within a year of passing their test, one in five drivers has an accident.

It is believed this is partly because newer drivers are not used to thinking ahead and reacting quickly to dangers.

The new test, which simulates real scenes a motorist is likely to face, includes an example of a child running across the road.

Drivers will be marked on how quickly they spot the danger.

The new module means the cost of a theory test rises to �18.

Learners must pass this before sitting their practical driving test which costs �38.

The new reaction testing has been introduced as part of the government's Road Safety Strategy, designed to reduce the number of casualties on Britain's roads.