Penalty points separate good girls and bad boys

MORE THAN 30,000 male drivers aged 17-20 have anything up to six penalty points on their driving licences.

There is also a wide gulf between offending rates for young men and young women, with women drivers aged 20 or under only recording 9,758 instances of attracting three to six points.

As many as 1,210 17-year-old males have accrued up to six points, with 358 currently having the maximum permissible six. If these drivers obtain any more penalty points they will be forced to retake their tests.

The shocking figures have been compiled by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), which is calling for reform in the way young drivers are trained.

However, there are just 36 17-year-old females with three points on their licences, with none currently recorded as having four, five or six points.

The IAM says that young drivers were involved in around 20% of accidents last year, while making up for just 8% of licence holders.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Such high numbers committing a wide range of offences demonstrates the inability of our current system to deal with the attitudes and lack of experience which put new drivers at such high risk on the roads today.

“The government is currently working on a Green Paper for young drivers and this must better address the content and process of learning to drive so that our roads are safer for all road users.”

By Press Association reporter