On the 27th of January 2026, the department of infrastructure announced their plans to introduce the graduated driving licence in October 2026, being the first in the UK to do so.
The new restrictions means that anyone aged between 17-24 that pass their test after the 1st of October 2026 will have restricted plates for 24 months rather than the current restriction of 12 months and have further restrictions that come with the new restricted plates.
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins says that this is the ‘most significant reform to driver licensing and testing in almost 70 years’. She also says that ‘these changes are aimed at young drivers who are sadly most likely to be killed or seriously injured on our roads’.
Under the new graduate driving license those aged between 17 and 24 will have nighttime driving restrictions for the first 6 months after passing their driving test and will also have exemptions of driving with anyone aged between 14-24 as a passenger with the exemption of immediate family.
The Graduate drivers license has been introduced as part of the new Road Safety Action Plan, which has been developed with the help of emergency services and other agencies and focuses on the latest road safety interventions.
In 2025, 56 people were killed in road traffic collisions, with people aged between 17-24 being the cause of 24% of serious accidents according to the Department of infrastructure.
New drivers will also have to hold a provisional license for 6 months before being allowed to take their test. The goal of this is to improve driving standards before sending a person out unsupervised in a car, wanting to create safe drivers and not ones that are just technically competent.
When speaking with the general public, one person said ‘there are other issues and blame can’t be just put on young people’ and another said that young drivers already have enough ‘pressure’ on them.
