LONDON 18 Jul (ANA) - Young drivers in England could be banned from driving at night under plans for a graduated licence system.

The idea comes after figures showing that a fifth of young drivers are involved in an accident during their first year behind the wheel.

As well as not driving at night, restrictions could include a minimum learning period and not driving with passengers under a certain age.

There are already graduated driver licensing systems in parts of the US, Canada and Australia, but Britain had steered clear of the idea over concerns they would restrict access to education and employment for young people.

Currently a young driver can lose their licence if they get six penalty points within the first two years of driving but there are no restrictions on driving time or passengers.

Road safety minister Michael Ellis said: "We have some of the safest roads in the world but we are always looking at ways to make them safer.

"Getting a driving licence is exciting for young people, but it can also be daunting as you're allowed to drive on your own for the first time.

"We want to explore in greater detail how graduated driver licensing - or aspects of it - can help new drivers to stay safe and reduce the number of people killed or injured on our roads."

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for road safety charity Brake, said: "We must do all we can to keep young drivers safe and this starts with making our licensing process more robust."(ANA)

FA/ANA/18 July 2019------