New research reveals the high cost of learning to drive is making driving less accessible for young people.
The key findings of the latest survey by Carzone tells us that 66 per cent of 17–24-year-olds admit they are not learning to drive as they do not have the means to pay for the mandatory 12 driving lessons.
It also found that 72 per cent of learner drivers surveyed do not own a car. According to this research, 37 per cent say insurance costs are too high for them to consider learning to drive.
The survey results also claim that 35 per cent who do not own a car are planning to purchase a vehicle in the next 12 months, and 37 per cent say they plan to spend between €2,000 and €5,000. Twenty-two per cent have less than €2,000 to spend.
Another finding was that 91 percent of people surveyed who are learning to drive are still opting to learn in a manual vehicle.
Getting a driving licence is a rite of passage for many, but in recent years there has been a significant decrease in the number of people who hold learner permits.
According to the CSO’s most recent travel survey - 2.9 per cent of licences are learner permits in 2019 compared with 9 per cent in 2013. More recent research from Carzone reveals that just short of half (49 per cent ) of those surveyed who cannot drive are currently learning.
