Would a minimum learning period help?

The Department for Transport (DfT) is consulting on introducing a 3 or 6 month Minimum Learning Period (MLP) for learner drivers. These changes would only apply to the practical test for cars and include a minimum amount of time to be spent learning and a mandated learning syllabus and how this learning can be conducted.

How would a minimum learning period help?

The government is saying it’s priority is to help everyone through a lifetime of safe and sustainable journeys.  

Statistically younger drivers are more likely to be involved in collisions compared to older drivers. In 2024, drivers aged 17 to 24 years old were involved in 24% of fatal and serious collisions in Great Britain despite them only representing 6% of licence holders.

Introducing an MLP will provide learners more time to develop their skills before they take their practical driving test. It also provides learners with the opportunity to gain more supervised driving experience in varied conditions, such as at night, in heavy traffic and different weather conditions.

You can read the minimum learning period consultation and respond on GOV.UK.

The consultation will close at 11:59pm on 31 March 2026.

Our thoughts

Here at Road Masters we would support a MLP. It’s important to give young drivers enough time to learn and absorb the information and practice to a high standard. Everyone does learn at different speeds but practice is imperative, the more driving experience learners build up before the test, through both lessons and practice, the safer driver they’ll be on the road after they pass.