AQW 40723/22-27

Mr Peter Martin
Democratic Unionist Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 16/02/2026
Answered On Date: 24/02/2026
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail the rationale as to why drivers who pass their driving test on 30 September 2026, will be subject to a 45mph restriction for one year, whilst those that pass their test the following day, on the 1 October 2026, will have no such restriction.

Answer:

The introduction of GDL entails the change from the current testing system and post-test requirements to those required under GDL. Such a transition necessitates the drawing of a line beyond which the previous arrangements no longer apply. It is considered appropriate to provide these transitional arrangements to allow for adjustment to the new GDL scheme.

The Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2016 (“the 2016 Act”) sets out the transitional arrangements that apply to learner drivers whose provisional licence entitlement to drive a category B vehicle commenced before the introduction of GDL. The 2016 Act specifies a six-month transitional period and the arrangements that will apply to such learners. Legislation necessarily has a defined date on which it becomes operational. It is on commencement of the relevant GDL provisions within the 2016 Act that the transitional period will begin. In practice, this transitional period will cover from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.

At 1 October 2026, there will still be many provisional licence holders who had started to learn under the current system. These provisional drivers will be at different stages – some will have just started to learn, some will have been actively learning for some months and some will be about to take a first or repeat practical test. We need to take account of these types of existing provisional licence holders and allow them a reasonable amount of time to continue with that training and pass a practical test which, significantly, will not include driving at speeds above 45mph. Should they pass a practical test before 31 March 2027, they will fall under the current testing arrangements and therefore be required to display the ‘amber’ R plate and remain restricted to a speed limit of 45mph for one year.

The first opportunity, unless exempted from the Mandatory Minimum Learning Period, to take a practical test that will assess the training required under GDL, will be after the end of the transitional period, that is, 1 April 2027. Critically, candidates that pass this test will have been trained and tested at speeds greater than 45mph and will be subject to GDL’s post-test arrangements.