Skip advert
Advertisement

Over 1,000 children banned from driving last year

Official data shows 1,024 children, some as young as 12, were issued with a driving ban in 2017

Britain’s youngest banned drivers revealed

Over 1,000 children were banned from driving last year, despite not being old enough to hold a driving licence.

Official figures obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) show 1,024 children under the age of 16 were banned in 2017, with 33 of those disqualifications handed to children under the age of 13. Last year’s numbers reveal a sharp increase compared to 2014, when 696 children were banned.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Drug drivers as likely to be convicted as drink drivers

Commenting on the figures, which were released to the BBC following a Freedom of Information request, RAC spokesman Simon Williams said the offence “presents such a danger to every other road user, because they're not only driving without a licence, they don't have insurance."

He continued: "No doubt this is the tip of the iceberg because they have to be caught breaking the law and inevitably many will be getting away scot-free." Williams added that since traffic police numbers have been cut by 27 per cent since 2010, "the chances of getting caught are far lower" than they used to be.

Courts in the UK are able to issue driving bans to children under the driving age, with the bans becoming effective once offenders have passed their driving test.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice told the BBC: "We will bring forward proposals for changes in the law as soon as parliamentary time allows.

"These proposals will take account of, and incorporate, all of government's proposals for safer roads, including the Department of Transport's review of cycle safety."

Should drivers going 1mph over the speed limit be punished? This police chief thinks so...

Skip advert
Advertisement

Find a car with the experts

Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Ford Fiesta: latest details on supermini’s potential return
Ford Fiesta exclusive image

New Ford Fiesta: latest details on supermini’s potential return

The Ford Fiesta could be coming back as an electric car, and here’s everything we know so far
News
20 May 2025
Flawed hybrid car efficiency data to stifle UK EV sales and propagate pollution
Connecting charger to Hyundai Tucson PHEV

Flawed hybrid car efficiency data to stifle UK EV sales and propagate pollution

Half a million extra PHEVs could reach UK roads by 2030 in place of cleaner EVs due to changes surrounding the ZEV Mandate
News
19 May 2025
Kia is returning to its 'Keeping It Affordable' roots
Opinion - Kia

Kia is returning to its 'Keeping It Affordable' roots

Mike Rutherford thinks new cars are simply too expensive, but some manufacturers are starting to do something about it
Opinion
19 May 2025