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Children aged just 13 years of age could be allowed behind the wheel under new proposals to lower the legal driving age backed by thousands.
A campaigner claims the legal age should change as 13 years old “can be trusted” to use a vehicle.
A new Parliament petition calling for the move was started by Yusuf Marcu with over 3,700 individuals already backing the policy.
The petition is set to run until April 2 meaning there is still time for the survey to reach 10,000 signatures.
If this goal is reached, the query will receive a formal response from the Government with 100,000 needed for the plan to be considered for debate in Parliament.
Making the case for changes, Yusuf said: “I would like the government to change the legal driving age to 13 because I believe that 13+ year-olds can be trusted to drive a car and should be able to get a driving licence.
“I want the government to do this because I think 13-year-olds are old enough to get a driver licence.”
The latest call comes just months after a similar Parliament petition was launched calling for the legal driving age to fall to 15.
Campaigners suggested the current system was “unfair” and could even be inconsistent with the Equalities Act.
The poll went viral and received a staggering 85,664 signatures over its six-month lifespan.
Although missing the threshold for a Parliament debate, the concept received an in-depth response from the Department for Transport who shut down the idea.
Back in October, 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.”
Data shows younger motorists are still a major risk with higher accident rates among this demographic.
Back in 2022, the rate of killed and seriously injured (KSI) casualties per billion miles was four times higher for male car drivers aged 17 to 24 than all car drivers aged over 25. The DfT also highlighted that the driving age is already lower than 17 for certain road users.
Some 16-year-olds who receive Disability Living Allowance at the higher rate can take their test early because of their “restricted mobility”.
The DfT previously added: “Decisions on the minimum driving age requirements have been taken and maintained based on years of detailed evidence.
“The Government considers that the current minimum driving age requirements for obtaining a driving licence are consistent with the Equality Act 2010 as they can be objectively justified for the reasons set out below.”
