Kirklees Trader Local Portal

Raise the minimum driving age

It has been proposed that the minimum driving age should be raised to 18 and young drivers must take lessons for twelve months before taking their driving test.

As nearly half of young male drivers have a crash in their first year of driving this may be no bad thing and may help to reduce the numbers of young drivers killed or injured every year (1200 last year).

It is a sad fact that young men aged 17 to 20 account for just three per cent of the country's driving population - but 33 per cent of convictions for dangerous driving, including causing death and bodily harm.

As I am quite near the Lindley racing circuit (Acre Street/Lidget St) I see the way the cars are driven by young people on this road, especially at night, and it is so appalling that the accident figures come as no real surprise.

More police patrols are needed to correct this, certainly not cameras but I suppose that is asking far too much.