A new study has found that 77,406 learner drivers have already earned points on their provisional licenses.
Among those holding the top spots for the UK’s most dangerous learner drivers are a 43-year-old who has an impressive 63 points and a 20-year-old who already has 30.
Following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request sent to the DVLA by Select Car Leasing, 81% of motorists with tainted licenses are male, with only 19% female.
The independent car and van hire specialists also found that 449 drivers over the age of 70 had penalty points on their provisional licence.
An unfortunate 20-year-old with already thirty points 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 though, with another 43-year-old having a staggering 63 points on his provisional license.
A new study has found that 77,406 learner drivers have already earned points on their provisional licenses. Following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request sent to the DVLA by Select Car Leasing, 81% of motorists with tainted licenses are male and only 19% female
Learner drivers aged 20 to 29 are the most likely to have broken the law, with almost 30,000 provisional license holders falling into this category.
Meanwhile, London and the Home Counties were the worst hit areas for learner drivers with points on their provisional – with Northampton and Perth, Scotland also appearing in a top ten hotspot list.
A provisional driving license gives you permission to drive on UK roads under the supervision of your driving instructor or another driver over 21 who has held a full driving license for at least three years.
People can apply for a provisional driving license when you are 15 years and 9 months old and can start driving a car from 17 years old.
Penalty points can be received on a provisional license before passing a driving test for all common traffic violations, such as speeding, reckless driving or using a mobile phone while driving.
It may take three years for the penalty points on a provisional license to expire, however any penalty points on your provisional that have not expired will carry over to your full license when you pass your test.
If you receive further penalty points that bring you to a total of six or more, within two years of passing your practical test, your license will be withdrawn until you pass your theory tests again and practices.
In general, penalty points or endorsements must remain on a driving record for 4 or 11 years, depending on the offense.
Drivers can be disqualified from driving if they accumulate 12 or more penalty points over a 3-year period, and the ban can last between 6 months and 2 years, depending on whether or not they get a second or third disqualification .
It is for this reason that some motorists can accumulate a lot of points on their license.
There are also exemptions and discretionary powers when it comes to people losing their license, and a court can show leniency if someone can prove “exceptional hardship” if their license is taken away.
Graham Conway, Managing Director of Select Car Leasing, said: ‘It is shocking to see so many learner drivers with penalty points on their provisional licenses – the stage before anyone has even passed their full road test.
“To see a 20-year-old, at such an early stage in his driving journey, having already amassed 30 points on his provisional license is particularly troubling.
“We urge all motorists, whether or not they carry L plates, to keep road safety at the forefront of concern.”
Some of those who will feature in the FOI data will be motorists who have been forced to become ‘learner drivers’ again after having their licenses revoked.
Provisional driving licenses held by people identifying as men and aged between 20 and 29 accounted for almost a third of all provisional driving licenses with penalty points – garnering a total of 170,044 points between them.
This may shed light on the fact that young drivers tend to pay the highest insurance premiums, with 20-year-olds paying an average of £851 a year, around £400 more than the UK average of £436.
Although it is illegal for insurers to discriminate on the basis of gender, women on average find premiums cheaper than men, with male drivers paying around 17% more than their female counterparts.
As for motorists who identify as women, there were two people with provisional licenses with 23 points – aged 46 and 63.
Female motorists between the ages of 30 and 39 have the highest number of penalty points on provisionals, with 4,353 motorists in total.
The oldest learner drivers with points on their license are a 92-year-old woman with three points and a 91-year-old motorist with nine points.
Penalty points can be received on a provisional license before passing a driving test for all the usual traffic violations, such as speeding, reckless driving or using a mobile phone while driving – and that can take three years for penalty points to expire from a provisional license
Graham Conway added: “This study is a reminder that all drivers, regardless of age or gender, whether they hold provisional or full licenses, must obey traffic rules and regulations to ensure safety. safety of all road users.
Select also acknowledges that there is currently a backlog for driving tests – where students can face wait times of up to six months.
He added: “Long test turnaround times could lead learner drivers to rely on family and friends to guide them, rather than paying for expensive driving lessons regularly.
“But that in turn could cause them to pick up bad habits from ‘instructors’ who don’t have the professional skills to be able to point out mistakes.”
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