Skip advert
Advertisement

Ban on passengers for young drivers

Proposed ban on young drivers carrying passengers to cut road deaths

Ban on passengers for young drivers

Young drivers could face a nine-month ban on carrying passengers who are not family members in the Government’s latest bid to cut teen road accidents.

Other options include a complete ban on new drivers aged between 17 and 24 from carrying any passengers until they pass a probation period.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) submitted the proposals to the Department for Transport after revealing that one third of motorists who die on the nation’s roads every year is under 25, despite that age group accounting for just one in eight licenced drivers.

Advertisement - Article continues below

It also says that drivers aged between 17 and 19 were involved in a disproportionate number of crashes, injuries and deaths.

A spokesperson for the AA said: “Drivers feel generally under pressure to drive in a way that impresses their young passengers, and this often means too fast and too riskily.”

The AA thinks new drivers only set out to learn how to pass their text, and not how to drive safely in different or challenging conditions, The organisation believes a mandatory one-year learning period would solve this.

The ABI is also calling for a year-long graduated licence that would give new drivers a better chance to practice in demanding conditions.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Xiaomi YU7 2025 review: a world-beating new EV to worry the establishment
Xiaomi YU7 - front cornering

New Xiaomi YU7 2025 review: a world-beating new EV to worry the establishment

BMW or Mercedes would do anything to keep the new Xiaomi YU7 from sale in the UK and Europe, and this is why
Road tests
14 Jul 2025
Electric Car Grant in detail: Which cars will get the UK EV discount?
Auto Express creative director Darren Wilson charging the Lexus RZ

Electric Car Grant in detail: Which cars will get the UK EV discount?

The government has set out its plan to help reduce the cost of affordable EVs by introducing a new £3,750 Electric Car Grant for new EVs sold under £3…
News
18 Jul 2025
Electric Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake will keep going long after rivals need to stop
Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake - front action

Electric Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake will keep going long after rivals need to stop

The second of Merc’s new-era EVs is here in the form of an attractive estate with a huge range
News
14 Jul 2025