Your Life

Driving

You are eligible for a provisional driving licence from your 17th birthday. This lets you drive on the road under the tuition/guidance of an instructor. Once you have passed your driving test, at age 17 you can hold a full licence to drive a car, small goods vehicle and an agricultural tractor on the road.

Once you’ve passed your test you are on probation for two years. If you obtain 6 penalty points during that time you will lose your licence. You will have to reapply for a provisional licence and take the tests again. Since the introduction of the New Drivers Act over 33,000 new drivers have lost their licences

At age 21 you can supervise a learner driver if you have held, and still hold, a full licence for that type of car for at least three years. Learner drivers must display red ‘L’ plates on the front and back of the vehicle they are driving.

Drinking and Driving

You MUST NOT drive with a breath alcohol level higher than 35mg/100ml or a blood alcohol level of more than 80mg/100ml. However, due to many different factors, the only safe limit is NOT to drink at all when you have to drive. Remember, you may still be unfit to drive in the evening after drinking at lunchtime or in the morning, after drinking the previous evening.