As soon as we turn 17, one of the biggest things to do for most of us is to learn to drive, right? Before the stress of final exams and university starts, many young people take to the roads – cramming in driving lessons and private practice in order to pass their test as quickly as possible. This meant in 2017, 30% of young people aged 17-20 had the full UK driving licence*. But what happens if when we pass, we have to take a break from driving all together?

Does taking a break from driving affect your driving skills?

New research has revealed that more than a quarter (28%) of young drivers believe they have had a road accident as a result of spending a significant amount of time away from the wheel, once they’ve passed their driving test. If you think about it, it makes sense. Whilst some say driving a car is like ‘driving a bike’, having 4 wheels and an engine is much more dangerous. If you’re out of practice for a lengthy period of time, you will be a bit rusty and, unfortunately, this can lead to accidents.

The research also showed that over a quarter (26%) of drivers under 30 have spent six months or more away from the wheel once they’ve passed their test. That means everything they’ve learned and worked for isn’t being put into practice for a long time.

How do we fix this?

We needed to find out the reason young drivers aren’t getting behind the wheel once they’d passed, and it turns out there’s a pretty clear reason. One third (34%)** of young drivers said that the cost involved in getting a car and paying for insurance was too much, and that’s why they took a break from the road. Yet new drivers are in agreement – two thirds (67%) of them stated that they feel having regular access to a car after getting their full UK licence, is essential to making them a safe driver.

This is pretty worrying. Here at Marmalade, we’re all about keeping young drivers safe on the road and empowering them to embrace the freedom driving can give – but what does it all mean, when they can’t afford to get a car once they’ve passed?

Luckily, we have a couple of solutions. Our Named Young Driver Insurance is an annual insurance policy to keep you on the road, in your parents’ car. This saves you the money on getting a car of your own, which let’s face it, can be a hefty cost. What’s more – this policy is a cheaper alternative to being added as a named driver on your parent’s insurance policy, which is often the first port of call if you’re looking to drive their motor.

We also have Student Driver Insurance – short term cover on a parents car, when you’re home from Uni for the holidays – because let’s face it, juggling finances for a car and uni can be a bit of a stretch! This way, you can still get your driving freedom as and when you need it.

We want all young drivers to embrace freedom on the road, and we want to help as much as we can when it comes to the cost. We know owning and running a car isn’t cheap, but there are solutions to keeping the cost as low as possible.