One fifth of learners rack up penalty points

Providers of gap insurance, Click4Gap, has said that many learner drivers are getting themselves into difficult situations. According to reports, DVLA data shows 22 per cent of UK drivers received points for motoring offences as learners.

The statistics show that there are 54,000 provisional licence holders who have already been caught committing motoring offences. A huge 60 per cent of these were caught breaking speed limits. Another large proportion of 43 per cent were prosecuted from jumping red lights.
Naturally as a learner driver you are prone to making mistakes. A statistic that is slightly more worrying is that 33 per cent of learners with points received them for driving without insurance.

This could be due to a simple lack of understanding of the law. A surprising 29 per cent of those surveyed were unaware that you could receive points on your provisional licence.

Newly qualified drivers were equally unaware of the stricter rules concerning their penalty points. A staggering 40 per cent had no idea that their licence would be revoked if they acquired six or more points within two years of passing their test.

A spokesperson from Click4Gap states: “Leaning to drive is a long and complicated process. There is a lot to learn and it can be easy to make mistakes. Practising road safety is an important part of the process, but also being aware of the law when it comes to points, penalties and insurance is crucial. The fact that so many learner and newly qualified drivers are unaware the law is worrying. If learners aren’t being told all of the facts from the beginning then there could be a rise in new cars being written off in their first two years of ownership.” pg