A quarter of drivers admit to having a bump, scrape or accident in their first car.

New research by insurance company Marmalade, surveyed more than 4,500 young drivers. For those drivers who experienced a crash, 78% had taken their driving test before they had met the recommended 44 hours of professional tuition.

Drivers who had more than 40 hours of lessons, 61% didn’t have a crash in their first car. Almost three-quarters (73%) of new drivers who had had more than 10 hours of private lessons avoided bumps, scratches or crashes altogether.

Youthful exuberance

The survey found that more than half of learners pass within seven months of starting lessons. 78% of young learners are taking their test well in advance of the 45 hours of professional lessons recommended by the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

According to the results, over a quarter (27%) of learner drivers pass their test after 21 to 30 hours of tuition, while the majority (28%) pass within 31 to 40 hours of lessons, short of the DVSA recommended figure.

Commenting on the results, CEO at Marmalade Crispin Moger said:

“The number of recommended lessons from the DVSA is guidance and it is not uncommon for learner drivers to pass in advance of this. Drivers learn at their own pace, however, we would recommend learners to have as much experience as possible before taking their test, to ensure they have the time to build their skills and to help avoid any unnecessary bumps or scrapes in their first car.”

Practise makes perfect

Non professional supervision during the learning process is commonplace. The research found that 76% of drivers had driving practise under supervision alongside official driving lessons.

Lockdown is preventing professional lessons taking place. However, the survey discovered that 55% of learners said they have taken 10 hours or more of private practise. A further 36% have utilised over 20 hours behind the wheel, while 24% haven’t practised at all.

The DVSA recommends 22 hours of private practice in addition to lessons.

“We encourage learner drivers to take private driving practice alongside their driving lessons to ensure they have gained enough experience to drive safely and confidently on the roads. Through private practice, learner drivers can experience driving at different times in the day, try alternative routes and gain confidence driving with a different passenger which will better prepare them for their test. We have also found just 1 in 19 new drivers that have black box technology installed experience accidents during their policy term, compared with 1 in 5 young drivers who have an accident in the first 6 months after passing their test, according to National Statistics.”