The number of young people qualified to get behind the wheel has dropped to the lowest level ever recorded.
With driving lessons and tests suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the opportunities to get behind the wheel have been few and far between.

There are currently just 2.97 million people aged 16-25 who hold a full driving licence in Britain. This is down from 3.32 million in March 2020.

The analysis of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data comes from the PA news agency.

This is the lowest number of young people on the roads since records began in November 2012. Then there were 3.42 million drivers aged 25 and under. It is a decline that is sharper than the fall in the total number of young people in Britain over the same period.

Reality of our times

Director of the RAC Foundation, Steve Gooding, said recent rises in the number of people holding provisional licences suggest “the appetite for driving” has not diminished among young people. However, they are facing significant hurdles when it comes to passing their test.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by this fall in the number of full licence holders aged 25 and under in a year where the Covid-19 pandemic increased financial pressures for many. Driving lessons and driving tests had to be suspended and resulted in more young people being locked down in their family home,” he added.

The price of progress

A survey by the Department for Transport in 2019 looked at reason for a decline in young people learning to drive. It found the most common reasons amongst 17 to 20-year-olds in England were the cost of lessons (41%), buying a car (31%) and insuring it (30%).

Fewer than one in five (19%) respondents said they were not interested in driving. Meanwhile, just 12% said the availability of other forms of transport was why they hadn’t decided to learn.

People who did not renew licences that expired between 1 February 2020 and the end of the year automatically had their eligibility to drive extended by 11 months. This was inline with other pandemic extensions. However, these were not included in the recent DVLA figures.

A new start

Driving lessons are expected to restart on Monday, 12 April in England and Wales.

In Scotland, 26 April in Scotland is the earliest date set

Driving tests may resume from 22 April in England and Wales and 6 May in Scotland.

Learner drivers waiting to take a practical driving test over the course of the pandemic could also face long waiting times. The backlog of rearranged tests, along with the number of young people reaching driving age. The DVSA has been working on increasing the number of tests available, including working weekends and evening. They have also been training. large number of new examiners.