A new study has found that 77,406 learner drivers have already got points on their provisional licences.
Amongst those holding the top spots for the UK’s most dangerous learner drivers is a 43-year-old man who has a staggering 63 points, and a 20-year-old who already has 30.
Following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request sent to the DVLA from Select Car Leasing, 81 per cent of the motorists with tainted licences are male, with just 19 per cent being female.
The independent car and van leasing specialists also found that 449 drivers over the age of 70 have penalty points on their provisional licence.
A hapless 20-year-old with thirty points already on his provisional has been identified as the youngest driver in the UK to rack-up such a tally.
He’s not the worst offender overall, however, with another 43-year-old male having a staggering 63 points on his provisional licence.
A new study has found that 77,406 learner drivers have already got points on their provisional licences. Following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request sent to the DVLA from Select Car Leasing, 81 per cent of the motorists with tainted licences are male, and just 19 per cent female
Learner drivers aged between 20 and 29 years old were the most likely to have fallen foul of the law, with almost 30,000 provisional licence holders falling into this category.
Meanwhile, London and the Home Counties were the regions most blighted by learner drivers with points on their provisional – with Northampton and Perth, Scotland, also appearing in a list of top ten hotspots.
A provisional driving licence gives you the permission to drive on UK roads while under the supervision of your driving instructor or another driver over the age of 21 who has held a full driving licence for a minimum of three years.
People can apply for a provisional driving licence when you’re 15 years and 9 months old, and can start driving a car on one when reaching the age of 17.
Penalty points can be received on a provisional licence before passing a driving test for all the usual road offences, such as speeding, careless driving or using a mobile phone while at the wheel.
It can take three years for penalty points to expire from a provisional licence, however, any penalty points on your provisional that have not expired will be carried over to your full licence when you pass your test.
If you receive any more penalty points that take you up to a total of six or more, within two years of passing your practical test, you will have your licence taken away until you’ve passed both your theory and practical tests again.
In general, penalty points, or endorsements must stay on a driving record for 4 or 11 years, depending on the offence.
Drivers can be disqualified from driving if they build up 12 or more penalty points within a period of 3 years, and the ban can last between 6 months and 2 years, depending whether or not they get a subsequent second, or third disqualification.
It is for this reason why some motorists can amass huge numbers of points on their licences.
There are also exemptions and discretions when it comes to people losing their licences, and a court can show leniency if someone can prove ‘exceptional hardship’ if they have their licence taken away.
Penalty points can be received on a provisional licence before passing a driving test for all the usual road offences, such as speeding, careless driving or using a mobile phone while at the wheel – and it can take three years for penalty points to expire from a provisional licence
Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Car Leasing, said: ‘It’s shocking to see so many learner drivers with penalty points on their provisional licences – the stage before someone has even passed their full practical test.
‘To see one 20-year-old, at such an early point in his driving journey, having already amassed 30 points on his provisional licence is particularly unsettling.
‘We’d urge all motorists, whether they’re carrying L plates or not, to keep road safety at the forefront of minds.’
Some of those who feature in the FOI data will be motorists who’ve been forced to become ‘learner drivers’ again having had their licences cancelled.
Provisional driving licences held by those identifying as males and aged between 20-29 accounted for almost a third of the total provisional driving licences with penalty points – collecting a total of 170,044 points between them.
This may shed some light on the fact that it’s younger drivers who typically pay the highest insurance premiums, with 20-year-olds paying on average £851 per year – around £400 more than the UK average of £436.
While it’s illegal for insurance providers to discriminate based on gender, on average women find cheaper premiums than men, with male drivers paying around 17 percent more than their female counterparts.
When it comes to motorists who identify as female, there were two individuals on provisional licences with 23 points – who were aged 46 and 63 years old.
Female motorists aged between 30-39 have the highest number of penalty points on provisionals, with 4,353 motorists in total.
The oldest learner drivers with points on their licences are a 92-year-old female with three points and a 91-year-old male motorist with nine points.
Graham Conway added: ‘This study serves as a reminder that all drivers, regardless of age or gender, and whether they’re provisional or full licence holders, must follow traffic rules and regulations in order to keep all road users safe.’
Select also recognises that there’s currently a backlog for driving tests – where students can face waiting times of up to six months.
He added: ‘Long lead times for tests could result in learner drivers relying on family and friends to guide them, rather than regularly paying for expensive driving lessons.
‘But this could in turn lead to them picking-up poor habits from ‘instructors’ who don’t have the professional skills to be able to point-out errors.’
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