Most common mistakes made by learner drivers revealed – you face a £5k fine & 6 months in jail for breaking them
YOUNG Brit drivers' most common mistakes have been revealed.
Drivers under 25 could be slapped with a £5k fine or six months in JAIL for breaking the rules.
Speeding is the most common offence among 16-to-25-year-olds, with more than 128,000 drivers choosing to ignore 30mph and 40mph limits in towns and cities in the last two years.
Plus, more than 33,000 were penalised for speeding on motorways over the same period.
Driving an uninsured vehicle was also a common offence among young drivers during that time, with nearly 57,000 offences recorded.
The research was compiled by insurer Hastings Direct, which submitted a freedom of information request to the DVLA on the offences committed by drivers aged 16-to-25 in the UK in 2020 and 2021.
While more than half the offences involved speeding, 23,000 traffic offences related to driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol - making up almost 7 per cent of the findings.
And more than 30,000 young drivers across the UK were caught without a licence.
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Hastings said: "The data shows that young drivers make the mistake of driving too fast both on public roads and motorways, with each of these offences appearing in the ten most common traffic offences for young Brits.
"Exceeding the statutory speed limit on a public road accounts for almost 40 per cent of the top traffic offences for those aged 16-25, making it the most common offence by far.
"The top ten traffic offences resulting from the new research reveal that speed is not the only limit young drivers seem willing to push, with drunk driving and driving with drug levels above the limit accounting for almost 7 per cent of the most common traffic offences.
"That’s almost 23,000 incidents relating to alcohol or drugs in 2020 and 2021."
Learner drivers' most commonly broken road rules - and their penalties
Exceeding the statutory speed limit on a public road (128,677 offences)
Minimum £100 fine and three penalty points. Plus, if you're still within two years of passing your driving test, your driving licence will be revoked if you build up six or more penalty points
Using a vehicle uninsured against third-party risks (56,789 offences)
£300 and six penalty points on your licence. If the case goes to court you could get an unlimited fine and be disqualified from driving
Exceeding speed limit on a motorway (33,055 offences)
Same as exceeding the statutory speed limit on a public road
Driving without a licence (30,658 offences)
£1,000 fine and between three-and-six penalty points
Driving or attempting to drive with an alcohol level above the limit (12,068 offences)
Six months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine and/or a driving ban of at least a year
Failure to give information as to the identity of driver etc (11,631 offences)
A fine of up to £1,000 and six penalty points
Driving or attempting to drive with a drug level above the specified limit (10,529 offences)
Up to six months in prison and/or an unlimited fine
Driving without due care and attention (6,426 offences)
£2,500 fine and between three-and-nine penalty points
Driving while disqualified (5,228 offences)
A six-month prison sentence, £5,000 fine and/or six penalty points
Using a vehicle with defective tyre(s) (4,420 offences)
A fine of up to £2,500 and three penalty points per illegal tyre. If all four tyres on your vehicle are found to be illegal, you could be fined £10,000 and 12 penalty points
