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  "path": "/lifestyle/cars/labour-driving-licence-loophole-pensioner-foreign-driver",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-08T18:45:05.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Drivers face major parking clampdown as new ban begins impacting hundreds of roads",
    "British company confirms latest steps to challenge Uber with 'truly national' taxi network",
    "UK drivers issued urgent petrol station warning as diesel is 'only 9p away from record high'",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nLabour has been urged to close a major driving licence loophole, which currently allows foreign drivers to keep their licence even if they fail to meet UK standards.\n\nA coroner has warned that more people could die on UK roads unless ministers close a loophole that lets foreign drivers who fail UK tests continue driving unsupervised.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nLorraine Harris, coroner for Hull and East Yorkshire, raised the alarm after the death of 70-year-old Susan Whittles, who was killed near Bridlington in November 2023.\n\nHer death came at the hands of a Nigerian national from Romford, who was sentenced last month to six years in prison for causing her death by dangerous driving at Hull Crown Court.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe court heard how the driver failed to stop at a crossroads on the B1253 near Rudston, hitting Ms Whittles's car while she had the right of way.\n\nShe died at the scene, and her husband, who was in the car with her, was seriously injured and trapped in the wreckage.\n\nThe driver had come to the UK in September 2022 with a valid Nigerian driving licence, which allowed him to drive on UK roads for a year.\n\nCurrent rules state that people from countries whose driving standards aren't recognised as equivalent to the UK must pass a UK driving test within 12 months to continue driving legally.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe driver was issued a provisional UK licence in June 2023, requiring him to pass a practical test by mid-September, the coroner's report detailed.\n\nBut the driver failed twice, in July and September and was still legally allowed to drive unsupervised under his Nigerian licence during the 12-month grace period.\n\nBy the time of the crash in November 2023, that grace period had ended, meaning he was technically only allowed to drive on a provisional licence.\n\nIn her report aimed at preventing future deaths, Ms Harris highlighted a major inconsistency. UK learners who fail a driving test must display L plates and only drive with supervision.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Drivers face major parking clampdown as new ban begins impacting hundreds of roads\n  * British company confirms latest steps to challenge Uber with 'truly national' taxi network\n  * UK drivers issued urgent petrol station warning as diesel is 'only 9p away from record high'\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nBut foreign drivers from non-designated countries, including China, India, Israel, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the US, face no such restrictions during their 12-month period.\n\nMs Harris said: \"If a national of a non-designated country fails any number of driving tests within the 12 months, they can still rely on their foreign licence to drive in the UK, despite not meeting DVSA safety standards.\"\n\nCurrently, examiners have no way to revoke the right of these drivers to drive unsupervised, regardless of how many times they fail.\n\nThe coroner has called on the transport secretary and the DVSA to act quickly, warning that drivers who fail to meet UK standards are a real danger on the roads.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe report issued last week gives the Department for Transport and the DVSA 56 days to respond to any proposed changes.\n\nIn response to the coroner's report, the DfT said: \"Every death on our roads is a tragedy, and our thoughts are with Susan's family. We will carefully review the coroner's findings to determine if any changes are needed.\"\n\nThe offending driver was also banned from driving for 11 years and must pass an extended retest before driving again. DVSA records showed he eventually passed his practical test in March 2025, after failing six times in total.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Labour under pressure to close major driving licence loophole after pensioner killed by foreign driver"
}