12 months (a year!?) to learn to drive
And a minimum age of 18!
The rumours have been around for a long time, but a Transport Commitee report has now recommended that learners should be 18, and should learn for a year with a “qualified ADI” before taking their driving test. There are also proposals for a graduated licensing scheme.
We intend to look into this in more detail, but based on previous proposals, the graduated licencing scheme could be useful, though the minimum age of 18 will simply put a lot of driving instructors out of work. There is no evidence that 18 year olds have a better attitude than 17 year olds. In fact, according to the only research that we could find (from Drivermetrics, we’ll find you a link soon), there is little improvedmnt in attitude until drivers reach 25. Is anyone suggesting that the age should be raised this high?
As far as 1 year with an ADI is concerned - does this mean that the dad who is a police driver cannot teach their child? This seems a bit harsh. And what is a year anyway? 1 lesson on your 17th birthday, and 1 the day before your 18th?
The full copy of this report is:
Novice Drivers Transport Commitee report
Let us know what you think.
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