A freedom of information request has revealed that an average of 33 new drivers per day had their licence revoked during 2018, after exceeding six penalty points within two years of passing their driving test.
This data was obtained by the road safety charity Brake from the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency. This showed under the New Drivers’ Act 2018, 11,953 drivers had their licence revoked, with drivers aged in the 17-24 bracket making up almost two thirds of the total. Under the act, if the driver wishes to go back behind the wheel, they are required to re-apply and pay for a provisional licence and they will need to sit both the theory and practical tests again.
Joshua Harris, director of campaigns at Brake, said: “It’s shocking that so many new drivers are racking up enough penalty points to have their licences revoked so soon after passing their test, in particular those in the 17-24 age bracket. It clearly demonstrates that we need to make our licencing system more robust so that when a driver passes their test, they have all the necessary tools and knowledge to drive safely on all roads and in all conditions.”
One of the ways which the government is looking into to improve young driver knowledge is Graduated Driving Licenses. This is a new initiative which is already being trialled in Northern Ireland during 2019 / 2020 and could possibly be rolled out across the UK later on. The idea behind the scheme is that young drivers will initially have restrictions in place on their driving licence for a period of time before being eased off as they gain more experience. These restrictions haven’t been confirmed yet but possible ones include curfews, limits on passenger numbers, lower drink drive limits, lower speed limits and mandatory ‘P’ plates.
Here at 4 Wheelz, we are a driving school committed to helping young drivers learn all of the skills they need to be safe drivers for life with great deals on lessons, such as our 5 lessons for £99 special offer, also we have a love your first lesson or your money back guarantee so you can be sure your driving instructor is the right one for you. We operate in many areas throughout the West Midlands, including Birmingham and Wolverhampton so speak to us today by calling 0800 448 8288.