As anyone who started driving at an early age will know, being a young motorist isn’t easy. At least, in the sense that you’re more or less guaranteed to be fleeced by your insurance provider – often paying more per year than your car is actually worth.
Jokes aside, there’s a reason why young people are expected to pay through the nose for vehicle insurance. Statistically, younger drivers are exponentially more likely to be involved in an accident than their older (and perhaps wiser) counterparts.
It’s not that all young drivers are reckless – it’s just that some aren’t quite as confident or capable as they could be.
Unfortunately, the Transport Select Committee seems once again to have placed young drivers squarely in its crosshairs. Nothing has been confirmed so far, but discussions are currently underway regarding a raft of new measures that could make driving even tougher for youngsters.
If the measures are subsequently implemented, there may even be times of day/night when younger drivers are banned from public roads entirely!
The Strictest of Scrutiny for Younger Motorists
Understandably, many have criticised the government for unfairly discriminating against younger drivers – most of whom are as conscientious and sensible as anyone else. Nevertheless, the fact that such a huge proportion of accidents involve younger drivers means the government has all the facts and figures it needs to make its new rules stick.
One example of which is a proposed zero-tolerance approach to drink driving, which would mean that younger drivers can be prosecuted for having any trace of alcohol in their system whatsoever. This would differ from older drivers, who can get away with breath tests after testing positive for small quantities of alcohol.
Even more alarmingly, there’s a proposed night-time curfew for the youngest newly qualified drivers, along with the limitations on how many passengers younger drivers will be able to carry in their car. It may also soon be necessary to take a specific number of driving lessons before getting a driving licence, which could make qualifying for a licence in the first place much more expensive for many.
No Immediate Indications of Change
Luckily for those opposed to these policy alterations, there’s no immediate indication of anything happening in the near future at least. The discussions for the most part have been delayed or shelved entirely throughout the COVID-19 crisis, though will undoubtedly resume at some point later in 2021.
In the meantime, the same rules apply for all motorists. Aside from the exception of younger drivers being taken to the cleaners by insurers – something that’s unlikely to change at any point in the near future at least.
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