What Happens if a Learner is Driving Alone?

What Happens if a Learner Driver is Caught Driving Alone?

The consequences of driving on a provisional licence without a qualified driver supervising you are serious – with costly associated penalties. Often, learners caught driving alone will face an immediate driving disqualification, and the owner of the vehicle they’re using will also face legal repercussions if they knowingly allowed you to drive the vehicle alone with only a provisional licence. We’ve listed the most common results of a learner driving a vehicle alone below. 

1. Your insurance will be invalidated.

Getting caught whilst driving alone on a provisional licence will invalidate your insurance policy instantly – irrespective of whether you’ve previously purchased a learner driver insurance policy. And that in itself is another cause for penalties, as you should never drive without a valid insurance policy. It’s also worth bearing in mind that should you be in an accident whilst driving alone as a learner, you won’t be able to make a claim without valid insurance.

Being caught driving alone as a learner will also make it extremely difficult to get cover in the future, as you’ll be regarded as a risk by insurers. Those willing to deal with you will likely charge an expensive annual premium. From an insurance perspective, being caught driving alone represents a costly mistake that you’ll be living with for years. 

2. You will receive penalty points on your licence.

You can receive up to six points on your provisional licence if you’re caught driving alone as a learner. These points remain on your licence even once you’ve passed your practical test, but in some cases, you can be disqualified from driving entirely.

Penalty points will remain on your licence for four years before being removed by the relevant authorities. More serious offences can result in penalty points or endorsements remaining on your licence for up to eleven years.

3. A substantial fine will be issued.

If you’re caught driving alone as a learner, you’ll be issued a £1,000 fine.

4. You could receive a driving ban.

Once you pass your test, if you have 6 points on your licence from driving alone, they will roll over to your full driving licence. Should you accumulate twelve or more penalty points on your licence, you’ll be taken to court and will likely be disqualified from driving. 

5. There will be a permanent mark on your driving record.

Getting caught driving alone on a provisional licence will result in you receiving a permanent mark on your driving record, which will increase the cost you can expect to pay for insurance. 

The penalties learners face if they’re caught driving alone are significant enough to put the vast majority of prospective drivers off getting behind the wheel unsupervised, but there are a number of other important rules that provisional licence holders should familiarise themselves with too.