Tougher new driver rules aimed at cutting fatal crashes coming to Northern Ireland

Learner drivers in Northern Ireland must wait six months before taking a practical test as part of sweeping new reforms.

Young drivers will also see restrictions on driving at night and the number of passengers they can have in their car - in what has been described as the biggest change to licencing in 70 years.

It makes Northern Ireland the latest to adopt a graduated driver licencing scheme - following Australia, the United States and the Republic of Ireland.

The system is designed to give new drivers a staggered approach to gaining full privileges on the road, such as driving at night or with a full car of passengers.

The rest of the UK is yet to take it on - despite repeated demands from MPs and bereaved families.

They rules will come into force in October and are aimed at 17 to 23-year-olds in a bid to reduce fatal road crashes among young people.

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Northern Ireland infrastructure minister Liz Kimmins said the changes were "aimed at young drivers who are sadly most likely to be killed or seriously injured on our roads".

She said that in 2024, there were 164 people killed or seriously injured on Northern Ireland's roads from crashes caused by a driver aged between 17 and 23.

"This age group of drivers account for 24% of fatal or serious collisions despite holding just 8% of licences," the minister said.

The new rules will mean that people will not be able to take their driving test for at least six months after being granted a provisional licence.

It also requires learners to complete 14 modules of training before passing their test.

Drivers will have to display an 'R' plate for 24 months after passing their test. Existing rules in Northern Ireland had required them to display one for 12 months.

Some of the rules are more complex. For the first six months after passing their test new drivers 24 and under must only permitted have one passenger aged between 14 and 20 in their car between the hours of 11pm and 6am.

That would not include family members or does not apply if someone over 21 who has had a drivers licence for at least three years is sat in the front seat.

Failure to follow the new rules could result in three penalty points or a fine of up to £1,000.

MPs have long called for the move in the rest of the UK - with Kim Leadbeater MP insisting the move "transcends party politics" and would mean "saving people's lives".

Sharon Huddleston, whose 18-year-old daughter Caitlin was killed in a road crash, told Sky last year that new laws would "help save young lives [and] give teenagers a future".

(c) Sky News 2026: Tougher new driver rules aimed at cutting fatal crashes coming to Northern Ireland