In addition to the many employment benefits a driving licence gives, it also provides freedom of movement and choice to someone who has passed their driving test. Public transport is often expensive and limiting by times to travel. For example, to get to London from Herne Bay on a weekday, it costs as much as £66.90¹. Travel the 65 miles by car and it can be as little as £4.48 in fuel consumption².
If a person living in poverty needs to use Public Transport to travel to work it may not be as cost-effective as a car, even considering the upkeep of a car. There is also the fact that a car offers freedom to travel at any time and with the flexibility of travelling where and when you want.
Possession of a full UK driving licence should be recognised as a privilege and not something to throw away or abuse. In order for this to change, people need to learn about this from the time they start learning to drive, if not before.
The DVLA issued data showing that 2,105 provisional licence holders aged between 17-19 lost their licence as a result of the six-point rule. A total of 5,823 full licence holders up to 25 years old, lost their licence due to the same rule. With the most common age to lose a licence as 19 years old³.
The same report quotes “Steve Kerrigan, head of telematics at Co-op Insurance, said: “Young drivers really need to think about their driving behaviours when they sit behind the wheel, and make both theirs and other road users’ safety a priority”.
This also applies to the fact they will lose their licence, their freedom of movement is lost. This message needs to be taught as soon as they get behind the wheel of a car. Driving awareness is crucial to understanding that having a licence is a privilege as well as a rite of passage.
- Costs based on Trainline figures for Anytime Return leaving at 06:45am.
- Costs based on fuel consumption figures by Parkers Guide Ford Fiesta and based on £1.12 per litre. (http://www.parkers.co.uk/ford/fiesta/specs/)
- Data taken from The Stoke Sentinal newspaper (http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/thousands-of-teenagers-lose-driving-licences-thanks-to-new-six-point-rule/story-30045108-detail/story.html)
