Guest Post: "Learning to drive: why we’re consulting on minimum learning periods for new drivers"

[RhiannonEMumsnet]

As Local Transport Minister, and a mum myself, I know the importance of keeping young people safe on our roads. That’s why we are currently seeking your views on introducing minimum learning periods for young drivers.

Learning to drive is a huge milestone. It opens up work, boosts access to education and is a major step towards independence for young people.

However, the reality is that inexperience behind the wheel carries real risks, not just for young drivers, but for passengers, pedestrians and other road users too.

The evidence on this is pretty clear; drivers aged 17–24 make up only around 6% of licence holders, yet were involved in nearly a quarter of fatal and serious collisions in 2024. The stats are stark, and it’s something governments around the world have sought to address.

So that's why we’ve launched a consultation on whether learner drivers should complete a minimum learning period before taking their practical test. If you’re already spending your weekends supervising your teenager’s driving practice, sitting in the passenger seat while they practice roundabouts, or taking them on longer drives or through different road conditions they might not get in a standard lesson, we are looking at what options best prepare drivers and the parents who support them along the way.

International evidence shows that where minimum learning periods have been introduced, collision rates among young new drivers have fallen, which is why many road-safety organisations, and families who’ve lost loved ones, have been calling for action for years.

Alongside this, we’re also consulting on tougher action on drink driving in England and Wales, including whether there should be a lower limit for new drivers, something that already exists in several other countries.

I also know that driving test wait times are a real source of frustration for young people and families, and that this can add stress and cost at an already demanding point. We’re taking decisive action to bring waits down by making more tests available, and between June and December 2025, the DVSA carried out 102,290 more driving tests than during the same period in 2024. We’re also changing how the booking system works, including deploying military driving examiners, limiting how often tests can be rearranged, and banning third-party bookings. While there’s still more to do, we’re committed to helping learners take their test as soon as they’re ready.

I know there will be worries about cost, delays, and fairness, particularly for families where driving is essential. That’s exactly why we’re having conversations before making any decisions, to hear real experiences and make sure any changes are practical as well as effective.

This is part of a wider Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade, with a clear goal: fewer deaths and serious injuries on our roads, and especially better protection for children and young people.

If you have views, I really encourage you to respond to the consultation on Gov.uk.

I don't understand minimum learning periods. How is that going to be judged? Some get a provisional license for ID well before they actually start learning.

Would it not be better to have graduated licenses after passing such as in Australia?

Of course people who are the least experienced of drivers will make the most mistakes - that's how learning skills work, you get better as time goes on.

So is it all new drivers that have this minimum learning period or are you once more making life more difficult and expensive for the young people of the UK?

You acknowledge the importance of being able to drive for work but are proposing to put another barrier in the way of them, especially those in poorer families who have greater difficulties with the huge costs of learning to drive.

I absolute disagree with any further restrictions or limitations on young drivers - learning to drive has been made more difficult, more expensive and less accessible over the past years .

Why the negative focus on the young who are still learning. Maybe switch your focus to elderly drivers who are causing frustration and danger to themselves and others on the road instead of allowing them to only voluntarily give up driving despite it being clear they are not capable.