Young drivers face limit on passengers

Teenage drivers may face a limit on the number of passengers they can carry to discourage them from speeding to impress their friends.

Teenage drivers may face a limit on the number of passengers they can carry to discourage them from speeding to impress their friends.

The proposals, in a government consultation document to be published shortly, will recommend that young motorists be subject to new curbs to cut the number of deaths on the roads. The report will suggest raising the age at which motorists can enjoy all the benefits of a full licence. It will float the possibility of a probationary scheme for teenage motorists, including limits on passengers.

Research for the AA by Reading University suggested that young men were likely to drive faster if a male friend was in the passenger seat. They were also more likely to drive too close to cars in front and to "show off". Young women drivers were inclined to drive more carefully if they were with a female passenger but faster if they were carrying a man.

The proposals were unveiled yesterday by the transport minister David Jamieson. The document will set out plans to give young drivers who have just passed their test a broader knowledge of road conditions before they are given free rein on the road.

Almost 10 per cent of 12,695 car drivers injured in 2000 were aged between 17 and 19.