Cabbies' driving skills put to test ... and they fail

Most taxi drivers would fail the basic L-test, a survey reveals today.

And some of the worst culprits are in London.

Researchers secretly tested 30 taxi drivers in the capital, as well as in Manchester and Birmingham, by asking an official driving examiner to sit in the back during paid-for journeys.

In London the examiner tested both black cab and minicab drivers and found that minicab drivers performed the worst.

One minicab driver tried to fasten his seatbelt during a journey but got his hand stuck in the belt. He continued driving with one hand as he struggled to free himself. While taxi drivers were better, said Auto Express magazine, one drove the entire 20-minute test route holding a cup of coffee, while others drove dangerously.

The undercover examiner told the magazine that almost all of the drivers he sat in with would have failed the learners' test.