“Alarming” number of motorists don’t give learner drivers enough room

Over one in ten motorists do not leave enough space when travelling behind learner drivers, with a quarter stating they would be more likely to overtake a vehicle displaying an ‘L’ plate – despite instructions from the Highway Code. 

The findings are from a new survey by the AA, which also found that 11 per cent of drivers don’t leave additional room when following learners. This is despite the fact that the Highway Code instructs drivers to do so as: “They may not be so skilful at anticipating and responding to events.”

Furthermore, 25 per cent of respondents in the 12,000-person survey said they’d be more likely to overtake a learner and 14 per cent admitted that they’re likely to get a lot more frustrated when driving behind someone with an ‘L’ plate on the back of their car.

According to the Highway Code, motorists should “be particularly patient with learner drivers and young drivers”. Thankfully, a quarter of drivers said they’d be more likely to give way to a learner, while almost one in five (18 per cent) said they’d change their route to avoid being stuck behind and potentially tailgating someone that’s learning to drive.

The managing director of the AA’s Driving School, Camilla Benitz, described the number of motorists failing to give learner drivers enough room as “alarming”.

“Especially worrying is that the age group most guilty of this are the ones who have recently passed their tests,” she said. “It’s important other road users treat learners, and new drivers, with patience and sympathy – after all, they were in their shoes once.”

This news comes as earlier this year, the AA reported that over half of drivers think the issue of tailgating is getting worse. The motoring association also claims that: “Three in 10 drivers admit they haven’t looked at the Highway Code since they passed their test,” with recent research showing that over half of drivers weren’t aware of the Code’s ‘hierarchy of responsibility’ designed to protect vulnerable road users. 

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