Learners, Older Motorists, And Drink Driving In The Government Spotlight

The government has unveiled its first full road safety strategy in more than a decade, promising to cut deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by nearly two-thirds by 2035. 

For car drivers, that headline ambition translates into tighter rules on drink driving, longer learning periods for new drivers, eye tests for older motorists and a renewed focus on enforcement.

Published this week by the Department for Transport, the strategy sets a target to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 65 per cent within ten years, rising to 70 per cent for children under 16. It’s an admission, if nothing else, that progress has stalled, and further evidence that the government’s existing road safety rulebook was woefully out of date. Cars have moved on, as has the technology that helps to keep drivers and other road users safe. This new strategy is claimed to reflect that

From a driver’s perspective, the message is to expect more scrutiny, more technology, and fewer excuses being tolerated if you do something wrong.

Drink driving back in the spotlight

One of the most significant proposals is a consultation on lowering the drink-drive limit in England and Wales. The current limit has been unchanged since 1967 and is now the highest in Europe. In 2023, one in six road deaths involved alcohol.

While no new limit has been set yet, the direction of travel is clear. Drivers will be expected to treat drinking and driving as mutually exclusive, not a judgment call based on “feeling fine”.

The government is also looking at alcohol interlock devices – breathalyser systems that prevent a car from starting if the driver is over the limit. These could become mandatory for convicted drink-drivers who want to get back behind the wheel. While that seems like a sound idea in theory, the idea isn’t without its flaws. For instance, if travelling with another person who hasn’t been drinking, or even a child, what’s to stop them from supplying the sample that starts the car?  Other proposals include quicker licence suspensions for those suspected of drink or drug driving.

For law-abiding drivers, this is less about inconvenience and more about removing the small minority who continue to put everyone else at risk. And for that, we can't be anything other than supportive.

Learners to spend longer in the hot seat

Inexperience remains one of the biggest risk factors on the road, and the numbers are stark. Drivers aged 17 to 24 make up just 6 per cent of licence holders but are involved in nearly a quarter of fatal and serious collisions.

To tackle that, the government plans to consult on a minimum learning period of three or six months. The aim is to stop learners rushing through the process and to ensure they experience night driving, bad weather and heavy traffic before being cut loose.

For experienced drivers, it may feel like a common-sense move, but it will always be a contentious issue that divides opinion. Learning to drive is already costly and time-consuming. Learner drivers or those wanting to start will argue that they already pay enough money to get behind the wheel - and that’s even before they have been slapped with their first insurance premium.

Eyesight and ageing drivers

Another sensitive area is older motorists. As the population ages, more drivers are staying on the road well into their seventies and beyond. The new DfT strategy proposes mandatory eyesight testing for drivers over 70, with options for cognitive testing also being explored.

This is likely to be controversial, but the government’s position is that independence has to be balanced with safety. For most older drivers who still meet the standard, it will amount to little more than an extra check. For those who don’t, it could mean difficult conversations and tough decisions about whether to keep using the car. For people living in isolated areas, which are already critically under-serviced by public transport, it could be a real bugbear.

Big brother cracking down on dodgy plates, insurance and MOTs

Drivers who play by the rules are often the first to complain about those who don’t, and the latest strategy leans heavily into that frustration. Illegal number plates, including so-called “ghost plates” which are designed to defeat speed and ANPR cameras, are firmly in the crosshairs.

There is also renewed emphasis on uninsured drivers and vehicles without a valid MOT, both of which increase insurance premiums for everyone else. Expect more enforcement and fewer places to hide as camera systems and data sharing improve.

More tech, whether you want it or not

The strategy mandates 18 new vehicle safety technologies, including autonomous emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance. For new car buyers, this means even entry-level models will come loaded with driver-assistance systems that were once optional extras.

Whether drivers actively want these features is beside the point. The government sees them as a key part of a “Safe System” approach, which assumes that human error is inevitable. Preventing those errors is always good, but when a car, that was previously cheap and cheerful, has all these safety features and technology piled on it, it might not look quite such good value.

A new Road Safety Investigation Branch will analyse collision data to identify patterns and causes, while a Road Safety Board will oversee delivery of the strategy. On paper, it’s a more joined-up approach than the UK has had for years.

The language has shifted away from blaming individual drivers alone, acknowledging that road design, vehicle technology and enforcement all play a role. Still, for everyday motorists, the practical impact will mostly be felt through rules, penalties and compliance.

If you don’t drink and drive, wear your seatbelt, insure your car properly and keep it roadworthy, most of this strategy won’t make your life harder. In fact, it may make it safer by targeting the behaviours that most drivers already resent.

But there’s no doubt the tolerance threshold is being lowered. Marginal decisions, whether it’s cutting corners on paperwork or cracking down on number plates, are increasingly likely to come with consequences.

Whether it delivers will depend less on press releases and more on enforcement, follow-through and whether drivers actually believe the rules apply to everyone.