The AA’s proposition to restrict young, newly qualified drivers from carrying passengers under the age of 21 for six months after passing their test has caused controversy among young people. The proposal was made following a car crash last year, which resulted in the deaths of four teenage boys. The UK government is not considering the idea, and many young people have been vocal about it being unfair. Faye Cullum, a 16-year-old from Norfolk, is currently taking driving lessons designed for people aged under 17 and is excited about the prospect of using a car. She believes that if the rule was implemented, it would give her no motivation to drive, and questions why they should be allowed to control who’s allowed in her car.
There are calls for elderly drivers to face tougher restrictions too, but the AA president, Edmund King, believes it is a balancing act. The AA has considered some safety measures aimed at older drivers, including mandatory eye tests and giving general practitioners more power to flag risks to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. The intergenerational issue came to a head recently when an investigation determined that a 91-year-old woman with dementia was not fit to drive when she fatally hit a three-year-old in June 2020.
Graduated driving licensing – similar to the proposition made by the AA – already exists in Northern Ireland. Edmund King says that in Australia, some teenagers prefer the rules because it gives them the chance to build experience by going out with their parents or other adults. Graduated driving licensing has already been brought in Australia, and new drivers in Canada face tougher rules regardless of age. The AA President believes that the proposed rules might relieve the peer-pressure of being a taxi service for peers who can’t drive.
In addition to the under-21s ban, the AA also wants newly graduated drivers to have “G” plates for the first six months after passing their test, and to get six points if caught not wearing a seatbelt. Edmund King says that enforcing these rules could help reduce insurance premiums for new drivers. Confused.com reported that the average cost of insurance was over £3,000 per year for 18-year-olds since 2022. For those aged 24, the cost has risen by more than 50%. Jack, aged 19, believes the cost of insurance is why lots of his friends can’t afford to drive, and he is doubtful how much safer enforcing these rules would make the roads. Ultimately, Jack says, it is the person behind the wheel, not their age, that matters
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
