A SURVEY of motorists has found that 90 per cent of provisional licence holders have driven unaccompanied, despite facing a ban from driving if caught without a fully licensed driver from the end of next month.
The survey conducted for Hibernian Insurance also found that one fifth of motorists under 35 years have driven under the influence of recreational drugs, but 85 per cent say they would never drink and drive. The survey of 500 drivers selected at random found that half of those under 35 and one third of those over 35 admitted to speeding almost every day, while 93 per cent described themselves as "law abiding".
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey announced last October that provisional licence holders would no longer be permitted to drive unaccompanied. However, following complaints in relation to the long waiting lists for tests, he extended the deadline to the end of next month to allow drivers on a second provisional licence the opportunity to get and pass a test.
Only one in 10 provisional licence holders surveyed said they always drove with a fully licensed driver, one in five said they had a licensed driver in the car most of the time, while almost half said they were never or very rarely accompanied by a licensed driver.
Young drivers had a lax attitude to driving under the influence of drugs, but were less likely to drink-drive than older motorists. One-tenth of all motorists admitted to having driven under the influence of drugs, but with motorists under 35 years this rose to one fifth. Some 78 per cent of motorists said they would never drink drive.
