Would these potential changes to UK driving laws affect you?
Would these potential changes to UK driving laws affect you?
Controversial proposed changes to driving laws could impact new drivers and require older drivers to be reassessed.
Did you know that five people die every day on the road in the UK and 80 are seriously injured (10-year average from 2014-2023)?
Other statistics show that in 2022, around a fifth of all killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties from collisions involving cars involved a young car driver (17-24) and 11% of all casualties in car collisions involved older drivers (70+).
Many organisations and government officials work tirelessly to devise new ways to make our roads safer year on year, to lower statistics such as these. Many ideas have been proposed and are frequently revisited as potential changes to the law. Below, we discuss the potential plans that may come into effect that can help improve these statistics.
Graduated licensing
One potential proposal is the graduated licensing scheme. Many young drivers can easily be distracted when driving and in a survey we conducted, we found that of drivers aged between 17-24, nearly 65% change the song they are listening to while they are driving.
The RAC foundation published a plan outlining restrictions for new drivers. The graduated licensing system would ban 17 to 19-year-olds from carrying passengers under 25 unless accompanied by an older adult. Our research found that over 40% of drivers aged 17-24 agree that new drivers shouldn't be allowed to drive at night or with passengers.
This system could mean new drivers are less distracted, which could help lower the rate of collisions on the road. On the other hand, this could impact the percentage of people who learn to drive to assist family members. Young carers may learn to drive so they can support older or less abled family members. Placing restrictions on passengers for young drivers could leave many people without access to easy transportation.
Ban on late night non emergent driving
Looking at proposals by the Spanish government as an example, the option of banning late night non-emergent driving could mean a ban on new drivers operating vehicles between 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. This is thought to be a step that would help make roads safer and allow newer drivers to feel more secure as they adjust to driving regularly. However, for many this may contradict the reason they learnt to drive. Driving, while providing a sense of independence, is also highly convenient. When public transport may not be an option late at night, driving offers an alternative. If an individual’s work schedule demanded very early starts or late-night finishes, this potential change could pose a big problem.
Retaking driving test
Deniss Fomins filed a petition to parliament in February 2024 stating, “I would like the Government to require drivers to retake their driving test at 65, if they want their driving license to remain valid.” This petition has since sparked a conversation as to whether older drivers should be required to re-take their driving test. Our research found that less than 50% of drivers aged 55+ thought they would pass their practical test if they were to take it again. Given that many of those surveyed have been driving for several years, this level of doubt is cause for concern.
While aging should not be seen as a barrier to driving, there are several aspects of aging that could pose a risk to safety, such as:
- Declining eyesight
- Reduced levels of flexibility
- Cognitive or memory decline
- Increased medication use
The average waiting time for a driving test was 15.1 weeks at the end of January 2024. By adding re-testing for drivers over 65+, this wait-time would massively increase and leave younger drivers, taking their test for the first time, waiting much longer. A less extreme alternative to retaking a driving test could be mandatory eye tests over a certain age. This could add a level of security to older drivers without negatively impacting potential new drivers.
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