Drive young, but carefully
Drive young, but carefully
I'm soon to be a learner driver and, following a discussion with some friends, I'm wondering exactly what the conditions are for withdrawing a trial driving licence in the event of a breach of the Highway Code and what the consequences of such a withdrawal are: for example, do you have to repeat the additional training course for young drivers?
L.
New drivers are issued with a probationary licence for a period of three years, provided they have completed the prescribed training and passed the practical driving test. During this probationary period, new drivers must endeavour not to commit any breaches of road traffic regulations, failing which they risk not only criminal but also administrative penalties.
Until the beginning of October this year, before the latest amendment to the LSVA, if an offence of any seriousness had been committed by the holder of a probationary licence and a withdrawal was ordered, the motor vehicle department of the canton of residence could decide to extend the probationary period by one year.
From now on, under the revised LCR, such an extension may only be ordered in the case of a moderately serious or serious offence. For the record, a moderately serious offence (e.g. driving a vehicle without a licence in the appropriate category) is punishable by a minimum licence suspension of one month, while a serious offence (e.g. driving a vehicle under the influence of drugs or after a licence suspension) is punishable by a minimum suspension of three months.
If the trial period of the provisional licence is extended for the first time, it is not necessary to take the additional course provided for by law, which is designed to teach new drivers how to recognise and avoid dangers on the road and to take care of the environment.
However, if the probationary licence has to be withdrawn a second time because of the commission of a new moderately serious or serious offence, it will be cancelled. The person thus penalised is no longer entitled to drive a motor vehicle of any category. A new learner's licence may be issued to a person whose licence has been cancelled at the earliest one year after the offence committed and only on the basis of a psychological assessment attesting to their fitness to drive. While the very recent amendment to the LCR has slightly eased the penalties for offences committed by holders of a probationary licence, you will have realised that caution is particularly important when you are a young driver, at least if you want to avoid costly and time-consuming surprises.
