'No curfews' for young drivers

The Department for Transport has said young drivers will not be banned from driving at night or car sharing.

Paul O'Sullivan, the Department's head of road safety, said these measures would be counter-productive for young people as many of them work at night or rely on a car to get to uni or college.

He added that it was more important to improve the Pass Plus scheme, as the current one was ineffective at reducing driving risk, and promised the Department will introduce a better instruction and testing system. Telematics could also help make driving safer, he said.

O'Sullivan said: "If you ban carrying other passengers among young groups you will get more young drivers on the road. It doesn't sit with the designated driver schemes [where one person agrees not to drink] or with car sharing, and police enforcement would be difficult.

"The Government is not keen to take liberties away unless there is a very strong case for doing so."

Copyright Press Association 2012



At last, a breath of fresh air from the Department for Transport - Ed