There seem to be a lot of rumours at the moment about the minimum age for car drivers being lowered from 18 to 17.  Some people have insisted to me that the law has already changed and that their son or daughter can now start driving lessons at age 17. This [...]]]>

Age Limit Still Applies!

There seem to be a lot of rumours at the moment about the minimum age for car drivers being lowered from 18 to 17.  Some people have insisted to me that the law has already changed and that their son or daughter can now start driving lessons at age 17. This is not the case.

The truth is that the matter is under consideration by parliament. It is proposed as a way of giving young drivers more time to hone their driving skills before sitting the driving test. The sad fact is that most accidents and most deaths on our roads involve those in the under 25 age group.

If this proposal is passed into law, then 17 year olds will be able to obtain a learner licence and start learning to drive. However, they will probably still not be allowed to sit the practical driving test until they are 18.

At first I was not sure about this proposed change, but having thought about it I now think it is a good idea-and no I don`t say that just because it will mean more work for driving instructors!

All too often youngsters are trying to learn to drive whilst studying or carrying out their national service obligations and this proposal will give them more time to fully concentrate on learning to drive properly.

However, at this moment in time nothing has changed. The minimum legal age for learning to drive a car in Cyprus is still 18.