More than 11,000 new drivers LOST their licences in 2019

Revealed: More than 11,000 new drivers were STRIPPED of their licence last year with majority banned for not having insurance or speeding

  • Some 11,125 motorists with a licence for under two years were banned in 2019
  • Under the New Driver Act 1995, drivers who accumulate 6 points or more in the first 24 months of being on the road automatically have their licence revoked
  • Half of stripped new licences last year were due to driving without insurance
  • A quarter were down to an accumulation of speeding offences  

More than 11,000 motorists with fewer than two years on their licence were banned from the road in 2019 after accumulating six points or more in the first 24 months of being on the road, This is Money can exclusively reveal.

It means an average of 30 new drivers a day had their licences revoked last year, according to records held by the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency.

Top of the reason for new inexperienced motorists being removed from the road was driving without insurance, accounting for half of all revoked licences.

Not on the road for long: Over 5,500 new motorists in 2019 had their licences stripped for having no insurance and a further 2,800 for having accumulated too many speeding offences

Under the New Driver Act 1995, a motorists licence can be revoked if they accumulate six or more points within two years of passing their test. 

This was the case for 11,125 individuals last year, who racked up points for a multitude of driving crimes. 

Top of the list was driving without insurance, with 5,503 new motorists caught and punished in 2019 – account for 49 per cent.

With this offence type resulting in fines of £300 and six penalty points, even those with a clean driving history to that point would have had their licences stripped.

Most common offences by category 

1. Insurance 5,503 (49%)

2. Speed limits 2,871 (25%)

3. Misc. 1,155 (10%)

4. Vehicle defects and distraction – ‘construction and use’ 713 (6%)

5. Careless driving 475 (4%)

Source: DVLA data provided to AA Driving School

categories simplified and grouped

The second most common reason for inexperienced motorists to lose their driving licence was an accumulation of speeding offences.

If drivers are caught speeding, depending on severity, it can carry anything from three points or more and a hefty fine.

DVLA stats shows that this happened to 2,871 new motorists last year – a quarter of all those that had their licences revoked, with an average of seven every day.  

The figures have been revealed by the AA Driving School.

While 11,000 is higher than some might expect, it’s 7 per cent fewer than in 2018 and only accounts for a small percentage of the 750,000 drivers or more who pass their test each year – meaning 1.5million new drivers on the road every two years. 

Men were more likely than women to lose their licences as new drivers, with males making up more than four in five (82 per cent) of the overall offence figures compared to 18 per cent for women. 

Some 11,125 new drivers had their licences revoked in 2019. More than four in five were males

Some 11,125 new drivers had their licences revoked in 2019. More than four in five were males

The data shows there were on average two licence-revoking incidents per week where someone was charged with failing to stop after an accident (115 total).

On average there were 11 offences per week for distraction, such as using mobile phones behind the wheel (602 total).

Eight people per month on average lost their new driving licence due to alcohol-related driving offences (96 total). 

In contrast, only 40 people across the year were charged with drugs offences which took their licence away, averaging out at less than one person caught per week. 

Sarah Rees, managing director of AA Driving School, said: ‘The amount of people who are caught without car insurance is staggering. It’s a legal requirement not only for new drivers, but drivers of all experiences.

‘Statistics showing licence losses under the New Drivers Act are often used as a means to call for stringent graduated drivers licencing to be brought in to the UK. 

‘But these figures show insurance is actually the single biggest barrier to new drivers staying legal and keeping hold of their licence.

‘More must be done to educate people on the risks of driving when uninsured as well as improve education around other risky driving behaviours such as speeding and using handheld mobile phones.’

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