New data has revealed the motoring offences committed most often by young drivers in the UK.
In a year-long period spanning 2019 to 2020, young drivers aged between 16 and 25 broke the rules of the road more than 81,000 times.
More worrying were the 4,000 drivers who became repeat offenders. This creates the potential to see them instantly banned from the road.
The need for speed
Car leasing provider Moneyshake conducted the research, submitting a Freedom of Information request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
From the 81,509 offences recorded, speeding was by far the most common offence committed by young drivers. Those aged between 16 and 25 racked up more than 60,000 incidents of driving too fast.
Driving without insurance was worryingly high, with 6,367 incidents recorded. Expensive premiums for those under 25 may explain the motivation to drive without cover in place.
Despite Generation Z drivers typically being tech-savvy, using a mobile phone whilst driving was only seventh on the list. Hopefully it means even that younger drivers know not to update Instagram or use Snapchat on the road.
Repeat offenders
Making mistakes is understandable for young drivers starting out on the road. However, the data supplied by the DVLA showed that some aged 16-25 were quickly becoming repeat offenders.
A total of 4,371 drivers committed multiple driving offences in the same year. Some were found to have broken the law on up to five separate occasions.
Becoming a repeat offender for young drivers can have serious consequences. New licence holders are limited to just six penalty points for the first two years.
Exceeding this will see a driving licence revoked automatically by the DVLA.
Speeding was by far the most common repeat offence. This was followed by defective tyres, and failing to identify a driver also cropping up.
Given that young drivers are reported to spend more than £7,000 to get on the road, some are clearly happy to risk starting all over again…
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