LIMITING the number of passengers novice drivers can carry is the most popular measure among the public for improving young motorists' safety, according to a survey.

As many as 58 per cent of those questioned felt a passenger limit should be introduced for drivers aged 17 to 21, the poll by Direct Line found.

More than half of the 2,003 adults surveyed thought young drivers should display a symbol, such as the voluntary P for probationary, for a period after passing their driving test.

And 53 per cent also reckoned that 17 to 21-year-olds should only be allowed to drive on a motorway when they have become more experienced. Nearly half (47 per cent) said lessons on motorways should be compulsory before taking the test, while the same number felt curfews should be imposed on young drivers to deter late-night driving.

Other measures that received support in the survey included stricter penalties for drivers ­committing an offence when under a certain age, lower speed limits for young drivers and a retest for them every year until they reach a certain age. The poll also found 30 per cent reckoned the driving test should be made harder.