Latest news with #drivinglicences
BBC News
6 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Shrewsbury campaigner brands government 'disgraceful' over new driving laws
A campaigner whose teenage son died in a car crash has said it is "disgraceful" that the government will not consider more restrictions for young Owen's 17-year-old son Harvey died alongside three friends in 2023, when their car left the road in North Wales - and she has since been campaigning for graduated driving Minister Alex Davies-Jones told the BBC there were no plans to introduce such measures over concerns they might "unfairly discriminate" against young parents or carers."What more does it take? How many more young people have to die on our roads?" said Ms Owen, from Shrewsbury. A number of proposed changes to driving laws were set out on Monday, including potential driving bans for over 70s who fail compulsory eye plans have been welcomed by the AA, but the organisation said not including stronger laws for new drivers was a "major oversight."Graduated licences have long been called for by campaigners like Ms Owen, and would place limits on new drivers like not carrying peer-age passengers for an initial period after they pass their practical from the Department for Transport show a quarter of fatalities from road collisions involve at least one young a road safety charity, said young drivers were more likely to crash when carrying younger passengers, and were also more inclined to take risks on the road. Ms Owen said she has been left "very disappointed" by the government's stance."They're ignoring all the advice given to them," she said, "and they're not doing anything to protect [young drivers] or other road users which is absolutely disgraceful."The 40-year-old said graduated licences would give young people "valuable experience on all road conditions", which would "build up their confidence before they've got the added pressure of distractions."So just for a small inconvenience for a short amount of time to think that that could save so much heartache, it's just a no-brainer really." 'Frozen in time' Ms Owen said she felt "really disheartened", adding that she began campaigning just six weeks after Harvey's death."We just don't understand why the people at the top are not making the right decisions," she said. "Harvey and many, many others, their lives are frozen in time - Harvey will be forever 17 and the families that are left behind, our lives are absolutely destroyed." A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said that "every death on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the families of everyone who has lost a loved one in this way."They confirmed that the government was "not considering graduated driving licences," but added they "absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads."The spokesperson added that the DfT was "considering other measures to address this problem and protect young drivers." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Daily Mail
02-08-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Do you have more points on your driving licence than your neighbours? Find out with our penalty postcode search tool
Halifax, Huddersfield and Plymouth have the highest concentration of motorists with points on their driving licences, according to new analysis. Around one in ten motorists in these major towns and city have at least one penalty point on their record - and the average is four points per licence holder. This is based on the latest driver records held by the DLVA's database, which was last published in May. Want to know how many of your neighbours and drivers living in the same postcode area as you have points? And, just as importantly, if you have more or less than them? The Daily Mail has built a new search tool that will give you all the answers. To use our interactive feature below, simply enter your postcode and the number of points you have on your driving licence currently. It will then tell you if you have more or less than the average motorist in the town or city where you live. It also provides information about the number of licence holders, how many have at least one point, and the total points accrued by all motorists in the region. The new analysis of DVLA data has been conducted by number plate dealer, Regtransfers. It found that some regions across Britain are home to motorists with a proportionally higher count of driving offences. In total, Britons currently have 12 million active penalty points, as of May 2025. The national average number of points per driver with endorsements is four. According to the figures, Halifax tops the table with more than one in 10 licences registered in the area (10.1 per cent) having one or more penalty points. This means that every tenth driver on Halifax's roads likely has a recent history of offences. Endorsements stay on your driving record for four or 11 years depending on the offence. This can start from either the date you're convicted or the date of your offence. Huddersfield, Plymouth and Truro are the locations next on the list with the highest share of drivers with at least one point on their licence. Around nine in 10 registered licence holders have one. Again, the average number of points held per driver is four. In terms of regions where drivers have the most points, drivers in Oxford have an average of five per motorist. This is the highest in the UK and closest to the six-point disqualification threshold for new drivers (those who have only held licences for two years). For drivers who have had their licence for more than 24 months, an automatic ban only occurs when they've accrued 12 or more points at one time. Oxford does not feature in the top 10 list of areas with the highest proportion of drivers carrying existing offences. Top 10 postcode areas with the highest proportion of drivers with penalty points Town/City Licence holders (full & provisional) Licences with points Total points % of licences with points Avg points per licence Halifax 128,642 13,032 53,045 10.1 4 Huddersfield 212,189 19,479 79,148 9.2 4 Plymouth 457,398 41,239 165,915 9 4 Truro 263,286 23,661 93,845 9 4 Leeds 625,967 53,016 216,524 8.5 4 Telford 192,025 15,383 59,719 8 4 Bradford 456,659 36,192 152,612 7.9 4 Exeter 489,330 38,700 150,497 7.9 4 Wakefield 422,266 32,983 135,104 7.8 4 Torquay 246,618 19,178 74,806 7.8 4 Source: DVLA data accurate to May 2025 analysed by Regtransfers In raw numbers alone, driving licences registered in London account for 1.76 million of the UK's penalty points. The capital has highest number of licences with endorsements for one area in the UK - more than triple the next highest city (Birmingham with 356,974 points) and over 14 per cent of the country's total number of penalty points. On a per capita basis, London also tops the table with 212 penalty points per 1,000 licences - double the national town average. Mark Trimbee, chief executive of Regtransfers, said: 'When you look at the numbers, you realise just how many people are carrying penalty points on their licence. 'It's easy to assume poor driving habits are confined to big cities or motorways, but the data tells a different story, and it's interesting to see Halifax, Huddersfield and Plymouth at the top of our data.' He does, however, acknowledge something important about the statistics being shown. 'You might look at the data and believe that higher points in particular regions means it's a 'hotspot' of bad activity - but that's not necessarily the case,' Mark explains. 'Points can also be issued anywhere in the UK - somewhere other than a person's registered address, for instance. 'What this kind of data does help shine a light on, perhaps, are the areas where driving education - and good driving habits - might be falling short.'
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
Hongkongers use driving schools over border to get cheap licences illegally
Mainland Chinese middlemen are offering Hongkongers driving lessons and tests at nearly half the price of city rates and showing them how to convert permits into local licences, a practice that authorities have deemed illegal. Checks by the Post on popular mainland social media platform RedNote have found that a driving school in Shenzhen is offering tailor-made packages for Hong Kong residents, including ways to circumvent legal requirements. It charges 6,800 yuan (HK$7,422) for a driving course to obtain a licence in Shenzhen, including five test retakes within three years. In Hong Kong, it costs learner drivers at least HK$15,000 for lessons and other fees before taking the test. The process is also much faster in Shenzhen, where a licence can be attained within three months, compared with at least a year in Hong Kong, assuming a learner passes written and road tests. 'We will lend you our employees' addresses. They are real and reliable,' an agent with the driving school told a Post reporter pretending to be a potential customer. 'More than 1,000 Hongkongers have successfully used our service to obtain mainland driving licences and get them converted in Hong Kong in the past two years.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Some NI driving licences revoked in fraud probe
Northern Ireland's infrastructure minister has said she is "extremely concerned" by claims that driving licences were fraudulently issued to people who have not passed their Kimmins was speaking at Stormont after police confirmed they were investigating the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was "working closely" with the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) on the matter.A spokeswoman for the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said: "As this matter is subject to a PSNI investigation we cannot comment at this time." The PSNI said a number of alleged fraud offences in relation to the issuing of driving licences were being investigated. "We are working closely with officials from DVA and as the investigation is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time," a PSNI spokeswoman claims were first reported in the Sunday World newspaper at the reported allegations that licences were issued to drivers who had not taken their driving test in exchange for at Stormont on Tuesday, Kimmins did not provide further details on the extent of the alleged fraud."There is a legal investigation. I think it would be remiss of me to comment on that, to allow that process to take its course," she said."But obviously I'm extremely concerned to learn about that and I hope that we see a conclusion to that very quickly." Driving licences revoked Deborah Erskine, chair of the Stormont assembly's infrastructure committee, said the "implications for road safety are huge"."Effectively that means that, right now in Northern Ireland, there are potentially people who are driving with a licence without having sat their test," she told the assembly on Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member said the DVA has sent letters to people "revoking" their licences in recent weeks."The people to whom those letters were sent may not have been involved in any fraudulent activity but may have been caught up in this farce due to the fact that they sat their test within a certain timescale or with a certain examiner or examiners," she told assembly said it was "important that assurances are given immediately to the assembly and to the public on how it is being handled". School bus safety The infrastructure minister was speaking at Stormont on Tuesday as she launched a new road safety campaign on the dangers of overtaking school comes after an 11-year-old girl died in March after being hit by a car when exiting a school bus in Castledawson, County have since been fresh calls for new laws to improve school bus safety. Kimmins said she had asked her officials to look at "options" for legislation but it would "take time" to consider. Community transport funding Kimmins also announced she intends to increase funding to protect community transport described the services as a "vital lifeline" for older people, those with mobility issues and in rural areas."It's something that I really wanted to ensure that we can deliver on," she added.
