New drivers should be subject to a zero alcohol limit for 12 months after passing their test, MPs said yesterday. They should also be prohibited from carrying young people as passengers late at night.

In addition, the Commons Transport Select Committee said, the driving age should be raised to 18 and there should be a minimum learning period of a year to reduce the number of serious crashes caused by inexperienced young drivers.

The committee’s report calls on the Government to act urgently to reduce what it says are unacceptable risks posed by young and novice drivers to themselves and other road users.

A third of road deaths in Britain involve a car driven by someone aged between 17 and 25. And although only one in eight licence holders is aged under 25, a third of drivers killed in road collisions and a half of those killed at night are in this age group.

The Department for Transport is considering several measures, including making the learning process more rigorous and introducing a tougher, extended test, but ministers have resisted calls to raise the driving age.

Gwyneth Dunwoody, the committee chairman, said: “Bold measures are required to reduce the number of people killed and injured in crashes involving young drivers. Novice drivers are extremely vulnerable and pose considerable risks to their passengers and other road users. Our report recommends a wholesale reform of the driver licensing regulations. Anything less will not address the reality of the risks.”

The report recommends that learners should be obliged to complete a structured syllabus overseen by a qualified driving instructor. At present, learners can be taught by anyone with a driving licence and are not required to have any formal lessons.

Newly qualified drivers should be prohibited from carrying any passengers aged between 10 and 20 from 11pm to 5am for the first year after obtaining a full licence.