Newbie drivers in China will have to show they can cut it on the mean streets of the city before they get their first drivers licence, according to new rules set by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS), which come into effect in April.

Currently drivers can obtain their licence by passing a written test and taking a test drive on a closed testing ground.

The MPS says the new drivers test is an attempt to reduce traffic accidents caused by fresh hands at the wheel by making them prove they can handle their vehicles among the sometimes ruthless drivers on Chinese roads

The regulation also requires 20 percent of applicants take their road tests at night.

China's roads are among the most deadly in the world. Official police records show that more than 89,000 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2006.

According to police statistics, road accidents caused by drivers who have been driving for less than three years resulted in 31,534 traffic deaths in 2005, or 31.9 percent of the official death toll.

Source: Xinhua