Teenagers steering clear of learning to drive

A RECORD number of teenagers are not learning to drive with new figures showing the number has fallen by nearly 30 per cent in a decade.

For years driving lessons were the “go to” birthday present for 17-yearolds, but now the total taking driving tests per year has fallen by 100,000 (28 per cent) since 2007/8. Over the same period there has been a 20 per cent drop in under-25s learning to drive, DVSA data obtained by motoring website Honest John show.

Experts put the decline down to the rising cost of university, as the trend towards fewer sixth formers learning to drive coincides with tuition fees rising to £9,000 a year and cuts to maintenance grants.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said: “This is definitely an affordability issue. The sharp decline in 17-year-olds learning to drive has happened just as tuition fees have gone through the roof – that’s no coincidence. Many people are now waiting until after university to learn. But it’s bad news for parents as it means their adult children are becoming increasingly dependent on ‘mum and dad’s taxi service,’ as they now expect to use their cars as well as live in their homes.”

Across the country East Sussex experienced the largest average drop in young people taking the practical driving test, with a fall of 61 per cent, while Bristol was second with a decrease of 45 per cent, the data show. Experts added that the rising cost of car insurance was also causing young people to delay starting driving. Average premiums increased by eight per cent in the first quarter of 2017, with accelerating costs being driven by Insurance Premium Tax, whiplash claims and changes in the way compensation is calculated.

In addition a typical learner faces a total cost of £1,529 to get their licence, with the Department for Transport claiming an average of 47 hours of professional tuition are required to pass. Daniel Powell, of Honest John, said: “Young people are being priced out of learning to drive. Ten years ago, a typical 17-year-old would have booked a driving lesson as soon as they were legally able, but today most young people simply cannot afford to drive.

“Increases in Insurance Premium Tax and changes to the way major personal injury claims are calculated have pushed up premiums by an average of eight per cent. But for younger drivers the real world increases are probably much higher.”