Driving test marks 75th milestone

And statistics show just how much safer the roads are now compared with June 1, 1935, the day compulsory testing was introduced.

In 1934, 7,343 people were killed on the roads and there were 1.5 million cars. In 2008, there were 2,538 deaths, when there were about 34 million cars.

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said: "The driving test is not just a rite of passage, it has helped save thousands of lives on our roads.

"High standards of driver training and assessment are an essential contribution to helping Britain's roads remain among the safest in the world."

Trevor Wedge, chief driving examiner at the Driving Standards Agency, said: "The driving test still retains some of the original elements included in 1935, such as turning in the road and reversing, but it is updated regularly. We continue to make sure that the test properly prepares drivers for the demands of modern roads."

The first driver to pass was a Mr J Beene and within a year the number of deaths on the road had fallen by 1,000.

The test was suspended during the Second World War and the Suez crisis in 1956 – examiners were put in charge of fuel rationing instead.

Until 1975, candidates still had to demonstrate hand signals.