Top 5 Driving Laws Broken by Learners & Young Drivers

New research reveals which laws drivers between the age of 16-25 are breaking the most.

Here are the five biggest offenders as unearthed by the insurer Hastings Direct. The insurer scoured the DVLA’s records to reveal the top offenders based on combined data from 2020 and 2021.

We also reveal what breaking each law means for your driving licence (and bank balance):

1. Speeding

Over the past two years, it’s been a heavy right foot that’s seen the most young drivers between 17-25 get in trouble with the law – a whopping 128,677 to be precise. And the price for caning it in your car? At least a £100 fine plus three points on your licence.

2. Using a vehicle without insurance

Nearly 57,000 of you have been caught driving someone else’s car without insurance.

This may be an honest mistake in some cases – you thought you were covered. If in doubt, always double check with your insurer before getting behind the wheel of someone else’s ride – otherwise you risk a £300 fine and six penalty points on your licence at minimum.

3. Speeding on the motorway

Those three lanes appear to mean ‘let’s go for it!’ to some with over 33,000 young drivers caught speeding on the motorway.

Now combine that with speeding on a road and together, exceeding the speed limit makes up nearly 50% of all traffic offences committed by young drivers.

4. Driving without a licence

We get that there is a huge waiting list for a test – currently 530,387 students are drumming their fingers according to the AA Driving School – but driving without a licence is a serious offence.

It’s one that can incur a £1,000 fine and up to six penalty points. According to Hastings Direct’s research, 30,658 young drivers have learnt that lesson the hard way.

5. Driving/attempting to drive when over the limit

Drinking and driving are a lethal combination but that didn’t deter over 12,000 young drivers during 2020 and 2021. Some may have fallen foul of still being over the limit the morning after a heavy drinking session the night before. Our advice? If you know you’re driving the next day, don’t drink the night before.

If you do, you risk six months in prison, an unlisted fine and/or a driving ban that could last at least a year. As for your insurance costs when you do finally get back behind the wheel? Expect to either be refused insurance point blank – or for your premium to double in price.

The worst of the rest

Other top offences include young drivers unable to give their details after committing an offence, drug driving and even driving after being disqualified.

That latter offence carries a six-month prison sentence, a huge £5,000 fine and/or six penalty points.

Risking it all

It’s important to remember if you are a new driver, your licence can be taken away from you if you accrue six points or more in the first two years after qualifying. It means you’ll have do the driving and theory tests all over again.

So if you should get the urge to break the rules, resist it because you’re not only endangering yourself (and your passengers) but other road users as well.

Learn the Rules of the Road

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