Car Owners Could Face Prison For Allowing Learner Drivers To Drive Alone

A prison sentence could be a possibility for any car owner who allows a learner driver to drive the car without being supervised by a full-licenced driver.

Under current law, the learner is the only driver prosecuted if they are found to be driving without the supervision of a driver with a licence of at least two years.

However, the Cabinet agreed on an amendment to the Road Traffic Bill yesterday, and it is due to be considered later this month.

If passed, the new laws could mean car owners would face a fine of €2,000, and even have their car seized if the learner driver is found to be unaccompanied by a full-licenced driver. 

They could also face a possible six-month prison sentence.

The new measures are in response to Noel Clancy, who lost his wife and daughter in a car crash involving an unsupervised learner driver in December 2015. 

Susan Gleeson, an unaccompanied learner driver, was given a three-year suspended sentence for dangerous driving over dangerous driving, causing the death of Geraldine and Louise Clancy.

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