Underage drivers shock

143 DRIVERS AGED 16 AND UNDER ARE BANNED IN LAST EIGHT YEARS IN NORTH EAST

Reporter MORE than 100 underage North East drivers have been disqualified in the last eight years, new DVLA figures have revealed.

A total of 143 bans have been issued to teenagers aged 16 and under in our region since 2010.

Figures released in a Freedom of Information request by the DVLA reveal the number of disqualifications per year by postcode.

The data shows bans in an NE postcode account for the majority of the region’s bans, with 99 disqualifications recorded since 2010.

Bans issued for underage drivers in a DH and SR postcode totalled 19 and 25 respectively.

The statistics also highlight an increase in recent years - particularly in the NE postcode.

The number of underage drivers disqualified in the NE postcode amounted to 17 in 2014, 15 in 2015, 22 in 2016, and 26 last year. Here’s a list of the FOI findings in full: Underage drivers banned in the DH postcode: 2 in 2010, 1 in 2011, 1 in 2012, 2 in 2013, 4 in 2014, 3 in 2015, 1 in 2016, 3 in 2017, 2 in 2018 (to date)

Underage drivers banned in the NE postcode: 9 in 2010, 6 in 2011, 2 in 2012, 1 in 2013, 17 in 2014, 15 in 2015, 22 in 2016, 26 in 2017, 1 in 2018

Underage drivers banned in the SR postcode: 3 in 2010, 0 in 2011, 0 in 2012, 1 in 2013, 1 in 2014, 5 in 2015, 5 in 2016, 7 in 2017, 3 in 2018

Postcode data reflects the current address of drivers, which may not be the same address as when they were disqualified. Drivers may also appear more than once in the same or different years for receiving more than one disqualification.

Certain endorsements are sometimes removed from the records, which means data from 2014 and before does not necessarily include all underage driving bans.

Road safety charity Brake branded the findings “shocking” and has called on the Government to spend more on a visible road policing presence to act as a deterrent.

A spokesperson said: “It’s shocking to see so many young people getting behind the wheel before they’re legally able to do so, posing a massive danger to themselves and all other road users.

“These irresponsible underage drivers are untrained and unlicensed, and have no right to be on the road.

“We urge the Government to invest in increased roads policing to act as a very real, and visual, deterrent to those who set out to break the law.”