AA blames video games for rise in under-age drivers

 More than 1,000 driving bans were handed out to children who were not old enough to drive last year, with the AA blaming video games for “giving youngsters the confidence to get behind the wheel”.

The number of under-age driving bans rose from 696 in 2014 to 1,024 last year.

Figures obtained by the BBC showed children as young as 12 were among those banned, and it has been suggested that the rise could be down to children learning how to drive through their computer or gaming console.

Edmund King, the AA president, said: “There are more and more video games out there now that are able to effectively teach people how to drive.

“With these games you can buy a clutch, a steering wheel, a brake, so even if they’re getting into a manual car for the first time, they know, or think they know, how to drive it.

“These games are giving youngsters the confidence to get behind the wheel.”