Learner drivers rarely prosecuted for driving alone

The Irish Times has learned that the number of provisional drivers charged with driving unaccompanied or not displaying L-plates is so small it is undetectable.

According to the Courts Services, prosecutions under Article 20 of the Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 1999, are not among the 3,000 most common offences before the courts each year. "In plain English, the number of cases are so small we can't measure them," a courts service spokesman said.

Provisional drivers are also twice as likely to crash and make a claim compared with fully licensed drivers, according to data obtained from motor insurers. The insurers also confirmed that almost every claim from a provisional driver is settled, even claims from drivers who were unaccompanied by a fully licensed driver at the time of the crash.

To determine the rate of insurance claims from provisonal drivers, six leading motor insurers were asked to provide data on the frequency of claims from these motorists compared with fully licensed drivers.

Of the companies contacted, Axa said its provisional drivers were twice as likely to claim as experienced drivers; FBD said its experience was that provisional drivers were 80 per cent more likely to claim; Allianz had a 65 per cent higher claims rate, and Eagle Star said provisional drivers were 25 per cent more likely to have a serious claim.

Hibernian said provisonal motorists are 30 per cent more likely to have a claim. All figures are pro rata and based on 2005. The insurers were unable to provide an explanation for the different claim rates. Quinn Direct declined to provide any figures.

Paul O'Mahony, head of corporate affairs at Axa, said claims from provisional drivers were more expensive: "The younger the driver, the more severe the crash tends to be. A young driver's claim might end up being €2 million or €3 million based on the fact that there might be a lot of people in the car. Older drivers might claim about €20,000 on a personal injury basis."

There are currently 404,000 provisional drivers on Irish roads and the waiting list for a test is over 10 months. However, as only 129,869 of these are on the waiting list, a large number of provisional licence holders are driving for years without signing up for a test. "The concept of the second and third provisional should be scrapped. Drivers on their second and third licence not waiting to do their test are the equivalent of the illegals in the US - they are not in the system as such," said Mr O'Mahony.

He warned that motor insurance would increase as premiums were, "at the bottom of the cycle. Premiums are at 1999 levels but claims are going up across all driver groups. We saw a change in trend almost a year ago once the impact of penalty points wore off." Damian O'Neill, marketing director at Allianz, said provisional drivers in their first or second year driving had a far higher claims rate, but "after about five years this disparity falls back in line with other drivers."