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Three children aged EIGHT prosecuted for speeding in last 18 months, figures reveal

<em>Children as young as eight have been caught speeding (Rex/stock photo)</em>
Children as young as eight have been caught speeding (Rex/stock photo)

Showing new figures have revealed that children as young as eight have been caught speeding on UK roads over the past 18 months.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data shows that three eight-year-olds and one nine-year-old have been prosecuted for driving offences since January 2017.

The four youngsters make up over 1,000 underage drivers that have been caught by police over the same period.

The RAC called the figures ‘frightening’ but warned that with funding cuts hitting the number of police on the UK’s roads this could be the ‘tip of the iceberg’.

<em>The offenders are among over 1,000 underage drivers that have been caught by police since January 2017 (Rex/stock photo)</em>
The offenders are among over 1,000 underage drivers that have been caught by police since January 2017 (Rex/stock photo)

RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: ‘It’s frightening to think anyone under the age of 17 has been caught driving on public roads, let alone children as young as eight.

‘The risk of causing harm to themselves and to other road users or pedestrians is frankly shocking.

‘Driving is a complex task which requires many hours of learning to become competent in, which means the chances of something bad happening with underage drivers are high.’

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Mr Williams added: ‘Anyone of this age is obviously driving illegally and, importantly, without insurance.

‘Despite this anyone who is involved in an accident with an underage driver will not lose out financially as any costs are effectively covered by every other law-abiding driver so this only serves to push up the cost of insurance for all motorists.

‘In terms of punishing any child caught driving illegally the standard practice is to disqualify them from driving which makes little sense when, in the eyes of the law, it is already illegal for them to drive.’