Graduated driving licence scheme launched in the UK: England, Scotland and Wales to follow NI?

New motorists will, from today, be forced to display an ‘R’ plate for two years after passing their driving test. These drivers must also adhere to a host of restrictions as part of the UK’s first graduated drivers licensing (GDL) scheme.

In a bid to reduce fatal accidents for young drivers, Northern Ireland now requires all new drivers complete a mandatory six-month learning period before passing their practical test – this forms part of a syllabus which includes night driving and, optionally, motorways. After this, newly-qualified motorists under the age of 24 also face additional restrictions.

Principally, for the first six months after receiving their licence, drivers under 24 cannot carry any passengers aged between 14 and 20 at night – specifically from 11pm until 6am. This restriction doesn’t apply for family members, nor does it if the driver is a registered carer or when the front seat passenger is over 21 and has held a full licence for more than three years.

That’s not all because, as mentioned, the period in which a novice driver must display an ‘R’ or ‘Restricted’ plate has doubled from 12 to 24 months; for the first six months a white plate with a blue ‘R’ must be displayed, followed for the remaining 18 months by one with a white ‘R’ and a blue background. 

Complex licence rules

Now here is where things get a bit complicated as rules differ depending on when you applied for your provisional licence and/or passed your test. 

Those who apply for their provisional licence after 1 October 2026 will have to take a revised version of the practical driving test; this involves an extended independent driving section, as well as the introduction of satnav use and ‘on-the-go’ “show me, tell me” questions. 

After passing, new drivers will be able to drive at speeds of over 45mph; until now, drivers in NI were restricted to 45mph for the first year post passing their test.

Those whose provisional period began before 1 October will be forced to comply with the old rules if they choose to take their test before April 2027 and thus will not take part in the GDL programme. Learners can, of course, wait and take their test after this point, in which case they’d be forced to complete the required syllabus and comply with the new rules.

Not complying with GDL rules can see offenders receiving three penalty points and a fine of up to £1,000; just like in the rest of the UK, it only takes six penalty points for a driver of under two years to be disqualified.

Is there a need for graduated driving licences?

With almost a quarter (24 per cent) of all collisions in Northern Ireland involving young drivers, despite them only accounting for just eight per cent of licence holders, lawmakers hope this will save lives and improve standards.

A similar system has been touted by road safety charities for mainland Britain, where calls for such schemes were largely ignored by the Government in its new Road Safety Strategy. Instead, it prioritised a mandatory six-month learning period for new drivers and steered clear of what it described as enforcing “blanket restrictions”.

This move might not be all that popular, though. Car insurance provider TempCover found that two in three of the 1,500 Brits it surveyed supported a GDL scheme being rolled out to the rest of the UK. The firm’s spokesperson, Claire Wills-McKissick, said: “While it’s understandable that some young drivers may worry about restrictions, our research shows most motorists recognise the specific safety benefits these rules offer.”

“Drivers aged 17 to 25 generally face the highest insurance premiums, as they are statistically more likely to be involved in accidents,” Wills-McKissick continued. “Reducing crashes among this group could help stabilise costs, adding another tangible benefit to the scheme.”

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