7 Changes to Driving Laws That Could Affect You in 2018

Published on March 9, 2018 | By Aaron Barnes


There is more to Ronin than simply helping procurement talent upgrade their career. We strongly believe knowledge is power and aim to become a hub of knowledge that you can use to stay ahead of the game.

Changes to Driving Legislation

Driving is something that all our clients and candidates are affected by daily, so we would like to take a moment to update you with all aspects that will affect you in 2018.

  • Sadiq Khan has placed a T-charge of £11 on older vehicles on top of the initial congestion charge.
  • From April 1st, more than three million drivers will be affected by a tax hike on diesel cars. This could mean paying between an extra £15-£500, currently there are no diesel cars in the market that will not be affected.
  • From March 2017, if you are caught using your mobile phone you are liable for 6 points and a £200 fine. It is also illegal to use a hand-held phone/device whilst supervising a learner driver.
  • As of May 20th it will be considerably harder to pass your MOT if you have an older car. Three failure ratings will be introduced by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, with defects and faults rated dangerous, minor or major. Minor faults may still pass the test, but they will be flagged on the MOT certificate alongside advisory notices. Cars that have major or dangerous defects will automatically fail their MOT.
  • Children must use a child car seat until they’re 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall, whichever comes first.
  • Driving tests were modified at the end of 2017 due to road collisions being the biggest killer of young people between 15 and 24. As a result the independent driving section of the test has been increased from 10 to 20 minutes ensuring that students will be can be in control of your vehicle.
  • Motorway will play host to learner drivers. We all know how daunting it was when taking our first spin on to the motorway, so it’s no shock that the motion has been passed for approved driving instructors to allow learner drivers to learn on the motorway.