SCOTS learner drivers are among the most law-abiding in the UK, according to research.
Seven out of the 10 best places for well-behaved learners are in Scotland, while no Scottish postcode areas feature in the list of the 10 worst black spots. The information was obtained from the DVLA by UK automotive firm Hippo Leasing under Freedom of Information laws.
At the end of March 2019, almost 67,000 learner drivers in Great Britain carried penalty points on their provisional driving licence as a result of offences such as speeding, running a red light and driving without supervision.
But when it comes to good behaviour, it seems learners living in Paisley are the least likely to find themselves with penalty points on their provisional licences per capita. Paisley had just 130 learner drivers with penalty points – 0.31 per cent of the total number of provisional licence holders in the area.
The other Scottish postcode areas in the top 10 are Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Lerwick, Edinburgh and Falkirk. The other places in the law-abiding list were Harrogate (fourth), Llandrindod Wells (sixth) and London WC (ninth).
In contrast, learner drivers in the east of England’s Peterborough postcode area, which includes Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire, were the most likely to be issued penalty points. It had 1245 learners carrying points – 1.34 per cent of the total provisional licence holders.
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Peterborough was closely followed by Nottingham, Northampton, Bristol and Wakefield postcode zones, while rounding out the worst areas for offenders were Enfield, Romford, Wolverhampton, Derby and Norwich.
According to additional data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), test centres in Scotland also report the highest driving test pass rates in Britain.
This is likely to be down to, in part, the fact that rural roads tend to be much quieter and more predictable than urban roads, with far fewer speed cameras and police patrols.
Under the New Drivers Act, provisional licence holders aren’t exempt from receiving penalty points and, unknown to many, they will be passed over to your full driving licence once you’ve passed your test.
There’s also a two-year probation for newly qualified drivers, meaning if you get six or more points on your licence in the first two years, you’ll automatically lose your licence and go back to square one.
Hippo Leasing boss Tom Preston said: “While there is a wider debate to be had about the accountability of learner drivers and whether they should be penalised in the same way as fully qualified drivers, it’s important to promote road safety from the start.
“This new DVLA data gives an interesting insight into which learner drivers are better at following the rules than others. However, with all new cars sold in UK set to have built-in speed-limiting technology from 2022, this may help more learners avoid being caught out by speed cameras in particular.”
