R-plates will have to be displayed for two years under new road safety proposals.

New drivers will be limited to carrying only one passenger and won't be allowed to drive between 12 midnight and 5am. They will also be banned from driving if they accumulate six penalty points.

The measures come in the wake of several tragedies on island roads involving novice drivers and their passengers.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne said: 'New drivers are often those in the 16 to 24 age bracket, so we want to strike the right balance between making things safer without unduly restricting young people’s social freedoms and economic opportunities.'

The department can amend regulations to extend the R-plate period and introduce the curfew but requires Tynwald approval to limit new drivers to carrying one passenger and to ban those with sx penalty points.


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