Here’s what a UK Graduated Driver’s Licence scheme could look like

We may have our first glimpse of what a graduated driver’s licence scheme might look like in the UK as the AA has published its own policy on GDLs, claiming it could save as many as 58 lives per year.

The AA’s version of a graduated drivers licencing scheme would see novice drivers aged under 21 display a ‘G’ plate on their car for the first six months after passing their driving test – failing to do so would result in three points on their licence.

New drivers under the age of 21 would also be forbidden, during that same six-month period, to carry passengers of a similar age, with special exemptions for carers and parents. The AA says this would “help mitigate the increased risk young drivers have to manage when they have peer-aged passengers travelling with them”, such as peer pressure to drive recklessly. 

Data from the Department for Transport shows that those caught not wearing a seatbelt for the first half a year of driving would receive six penalty points on their licence (instead of the standard £500 fine and three penalty points usually issued) and would be mandated to complete a logbook before they pass their test, racking up driving time on different types of roads in varying conditions.

Graduated Driving Licence safety benefits

Last year, 290 people were killed and 1,327 seriously injured in accidents that involved a young driver; the AA says a GDL scheme could prevent as many as 58 deaths and avoid 934 people being injured per year. This is what has been described as a “low” estimate, based on data from a 2018 study by the Transport Research Laboratory which studied road deaths in countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. All three countries have introduced GDL schemes and found that the number of people killed or seriously injured fell by anything between 20-40 per cent.

The AA’s CEO, Jakob Pfaudler publicly backed The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (New Drivers) Bill when it was introduced to the House of Commons earlier this year before the General Election. Now, however, he has written to Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, asking her to “make simple, pragmatic changes to the licensing process so young people are better protected in their first few months of independent driving”.

“Graduated Driver Licensing has been proven in other countries to significantly reduce road deaths and serious injuries,” Pfadler said. “Not only is this a tragic waste of life, but it contributes to the burden of high insurance premiums for young drivers. These premiums should fall when there is evidence of a reduction of young drivers and passengers killed and seriously injured.”

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