“Dangerous” plans to let 15-year-olds drive have taken a step closer to reality with an online petition closing in on a Parliament debate.
More than 94,000 individuals have signed the poll which demands driving laws around the legal age are immediately lowered.
The petition, set up by Matteo Joseph Shirley, has until December 27 to pass the vital 100,000 mark.
After this threshold is passed, the petition will need to be considered for debate in Parliament despite opposition from the Government.
Campaigners claimed 15 and 16-year-olds would be “trusted to drive a car” with the current 17-year-old threshold to secure a full driving licence branded “unfair”.
READ MORE Motorists slam ‘dangerous’ plan to let 15-year-olds drive
Those hoping to change the rules even argued the current cut-off was “inconsistent” with the Equality Act 2010.
Earlier this month, the Department for Transport (DfT) responded to the petition by insisting that current laws would not be changing.
They responded: “The Government has no current plans to lower the legal driving age. This is because young drivers remain as one of the highest fatality groups.
“The Government is committed to improving the safety of all road users, especially young drivers who are at a greater risk of being involved in a collision.”
The DfT added: “Decisions on the minimum driving age requirements have been taken and maintained based on years of detailed evidence.”
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Officials outlined that the minimum driving age can be “objectively justified” by the data. 17-24-year-olds remain one of the highest road casualty risk groups in the country, especially male car drivers.
Last year, the rate of killed and seriously injured (KSI) casualties per billion miles was 4 times higher for males aged 17 to 24 than for all car drivers aged over 25.
Express readers have previously slammed the poll with many calling for the legal age to rise instead of fall.
@goodnessme said: “What nonsense, some can’t even ride a cycle never mind drive a car. Maybe there should be a petition to increase the age from 17 to 21 instead.”
@KingRufus added: “Sheer madness – and how much would the insurance be? Very expensive I hope.”
@Llewydd added: “What twerp thought that up, so much for reducing cars. Then there’s the pressure on parents to buy them cars and pay for insurance. Also their attention span is dangerous.”
The DfT concluded: “It is accepted that although adolescents stop growing physically around the age of 18, cognitive skills aren’t fully formed until the age of 25.
“This means that biological factors can mean those under 25 are at greater risk of injury or death on the roads.”
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