Creating a culture of lifelong learning is the route to reducing road casualties, according to a keynote speech made in Solihull by the head of the Driving Standards Agency.

Rosemary Thew, chief executive of the Government agency responsible for the testing of drivers and riders in Great Britain and the training of driving instructors, was speaking at a major forum addressing the increasing safety concerns of women drivers.

Delegates heard of the proposals that the DSA had recently put forward to better prepare newly qualified drivers to cope with the challenges of driving unsupervised on increasingly busy roads.