Study reveals London feature in the top 10 areas with most dangerous learner drivers in the UK SEVEN times

There are a staggering 77,406 learner drivers in the UK who have penalty points on their provisional licence.

Over 25 percent of learner drivers with the highest number of provisional licences with penalty points per capita reside within the top 10 UK hotspots. London and the Home
Counties were the regions most blighted by learner drivers with points on their provisional – with Northampton and Perth, Scotland, also appearing in the list of top ten hotspots. 

The stats come via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the DVLA from Select Car Leasing, one of the UK’s leading independent specialists for car and van leasing. 

It’s worth noting some of those who feature in the FOI data will be motorists who’ve been forced to become ‘learner drivers’ again having had their licences cancelled.

By far the worst offenders are motorists registered in Ilford, London with 256 provisional licences with points per capita.

Resident learners in Ilford were most likely found with between three and six points on their provisional licence, however, one student driver in Ilford has a shocking 21 points.

That said, they’re not the worst offender overall in the study, after a 43-year-old male was found to have a staggering 63 points on his provisional licence.  

Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Car Leasing, said:
“It’s shocking to see so many learner drivers with penalty points on their provisional licences – the stage before someone has even passed their full practical test.  

“We’d urge all motorists, whether they’re carrying ‘L’ plates or not, to keep road safety at the forefront of minds.” 

Southall, London is the second worst performing location with 235 provisional licences with penalty points per capita. Resident learner drivers were most likely found to have
between three and six points, with two drivers discovered to have a shocking 15 points respectively.

This could correlate with Southall’s latest practical driving test pass rates (42.9%) falling below the UK average of 48.7 percent. Shedding some light on the fact
61
percent of non-drivers would consider driving without a full licence due to the expense of lessons increasing.

Graham Conway adds:
“The increasing costs of driving lessons and practical tests could result in learner drivers relying on family and friends to guide them.  

“But this could in turn lead to them picking-up poor habits from ‘instructors’ who don’t have the professional skills to be able to point out errors.” 

Central London (233), Croydon (219) and Harrow (214) complete the top five areas in the
UK with the highest number of provisional licences with penalty points per capita.

Luton, Bedford has the highest number of dangerous learner drivers outside of London with 202 provisional driving licences with penalty points per capita. With most learner drivers receiving
between three and six penalty points, it has five student drivers with 12 penalty points.

At the other end of the study, Shetland (22), Knighton (34) and Harrogate (43) hold the lowest number of dangerous learner drivers with the most penalty points on their provisional licences
per capita.

Select’s Graham Conway adds: “This study serves as a reminder that
all drivers, regardless of age or gender, and whether they’re provisional or full licence holders, must follow traffic rules and regulations in order to keep all road users safe. 

“Driver education is paramount. And if you’re someone who finds themselves consistently racking up penalty points, we’d recommend additional instruction – such as with a
‘Pass Plus’ course – which should help you to hone your skills and to ultimately drive more safely.” 

Licences and the law 

A
provisional
driving licence gives you the permission to drive on UK roads while under the supervision of your driving instructor or another driver over the age
of 21 who has held a full driving licence for a minimum of three years.  

You can apply for a provisional driving licence when you’re 15 years and 9 months old and you can start driving a car on one when you’re 17. 

And you can also receive penalty points on your provisional licence BEFORE you pass your test – for all the usual road offences, such as speeding, careless driving, or using
a mobile phone while at the wheel. 

It can take three years for penalty points to expire from a provisional licence, however, any penalty points on your provisional that have not expired will be carried over
to your full licence when you pass your test.  

And then if you receive any MORE penalty points – that take you up to a total of six or more – within two years of passing your practical test, you’ll have your licence taken
away until you’ve passed both your theory and practical tests again.  

In general, penalty points, or endorsements must stay on your driving record for 4 or 11 years, depending on the offence. 

You can be disqualified from driving if you build up 12 or more penalty points within a period of 3 years, and the ban can last between 6 months and 2 years, depending on whether
or not you get a subsequent second or third disqualification.  

It’s for this reason that some motorists can amass huge numbers of points on their licences.  

There are also exemptions and discretions when it comes to people losing their licences, and a court can show leniency if someone can prove ‘exceptional hardship’ if they have
their licence taken away.  

Methodology  

*Select Car Leasing sent an FOI request to DVLA for the number of provisional licences with penalty points across the UK, we asked for the data to be separated by age, gender
and location. We used 2021 Census population data and divided and calculated how many provisional licences with points were held per 100,000 population in each area.