In September 1993 the Swedish system was changed and from that time it was allowed to practice from 16 years of age. The earlier age limit was 17.5 years. The licensing age was, however, still 18 years. The main purpose was to extend the possibilities to achieve more experience during the practising period. To be allowed to start driving, the learner must have a permission from the authorities. It is also a free choice to get the training from a driving school or from a lay instructor or from both in combination. If choosing a driving school, the school will arrange all formalities, but if private training is preferred it is also necessary with a lay instructor to get permission from the authorities. Enclosed with the learner's application form must be a health declaration and an eye test. The learner is checked against the police record and if this is OK, he or she will get a permission which should be kept in the car when driving. The lay instructor must be at least 24 years old and have been a licence holder for the last 5 years without any withdrawal. The lay permission must also be kept in the car during practising. The authorities have specified a curricula which describes the goals to be achieved and the structure of the training. This is to be used in the private training as well as in the driving schools. The only mandatory part of the training is a half day of training on low friction driving. The driving licence will be achieved directly after having passed a theory test and a practical driving test. Since there is a high interest in the way the system is used and in the effects of the changes, the new system is evaluated by VTI in terms of both a process evaluation and an effect evaluation. The level of participation was above expectations and accident involvement during the practising period did not increase. The author suggests that as the system is developed attention should be paid to a possible need for the structuring of private training.
Abstract