Britain’s worst learner drivers revealed

Moneyshake submitted a Freedom of Information request to find out how many drivers have penalty points (or endorsements) on their provisional licence. The latest data released by the DVLA shows that a shocking 65,054 learner drivers have points on their licence before passing their test!

Discover their findings below as Moneyshake reveal the DVLA’s statistics on Britain’s worst learner drivers.

12,000 new drivers risk losing their licence straight after their test

The DVLA data shows that a staggering 10,639 learner drivers have seven to nine points on their provisional licence, while 1,803 have 10 or more!

In total, 12,442 learner drivers could have their licence cancelled immediately after passing their test. Points from your provisional are carried over to your full licence and if you get six or more points within two years of passing your test, your licence will be revoked.

learner drivers

New drivers might not be able to drive for 11 years after passing their test

To avoid your licence being cancelled straight away, you would need to wait for the points to expire before taking your test. Endorsements stay on your driving record for four years, going up to 11 years for the most serious offences.

53,000 men have points on their provision licence, compared to 12,000 women

Moneyshake uncovered that an astonishing 52,802 men already have points on their provisional licence, compared to just 12,252 women – a difference of 40,550 learner drivers!

The government statistics show that female learners have significantly fewer points across every point category, suggesting they’re safer on the roads and will be better drivers when they pass the test.

It seems that these bad driving habits continue after men and women pass their test, too. A 2019 study by Confused showed that 79% of motoring offences are committed by men, even though there’s a difference of less than 1% between the mileage of the two sexes.

Learner drivers in their 20s are the worst for points on their licence

When broken down by age group, learners in their 20s are the worst for having penalty points before passing their test. The DVLA data shows that a huge 26,552 provisional licence holders in their 20s already have one or more endorsements on their driving record.

Their study also exposed 21-year-olds as the worst learner drivers overall, when compared to all UK provisional licence holders by age.

Moneyshake found that 3,043 21-year-olds already have penalty points, which was also the only age to have more than 3,000 learner drivers with endorsements on their licence.

learner drivers

Learners as young as 16 already have penalty points – and they’re all male

A shocking 80 learner drivers with penalty points are just 16 years old, which is shocking considering that most of us aren’t allowed to get behind the wheel until age 17. What’s more, all these drivers are male.

Young male learners revealed to be the most dangerous

Based on the data they have uncovered so far, it’s unsurprising that men are likely to be the most dangerous drivers, based on 10,668 male learners with seven or more penalty points on their record, compared to just 1,673 women.

Taking a closer look at the DVLA statistics, we can reveal that 20-year-old males are likely to be the most dangerous. Moneyshake discovered that 627 learners with seven penalty points or more are 20-year-old men, which is more than any other provisional licence holders by age and gender.

25-year-old women are the most dangerous for their gender category, but with much fewer learners, as only 69 female provisional licence holders have seven points or more.

What happens if I get penalty points on my provisional licence?

Any penalty points that you get while learning to drive will carry over to your full licence. It can take four years for points to expire, although this goes up to 11 years for very serious offences. Most endorsements are automatically removed from your record after they expire.

If you get six points or more within two years of passing your test, your driving licence will be automatically cancelled.

5 motoring offences which could get your new driving licence cancelled

If you’re learning to drive or have just passed your test, here are five motoring offences which have a penalty of six points or more – and could get your licence revoked.

  1. Using your mobile phone while driving
  2. Driving without insurance
  3. Driving under the influence of drink or drugs
  4. Failing to identify the driver (for example, after being caught by a speed camera)
  5. Driving while disqualified

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