Thousands of children, some aged as young as 11, have received driving bans over the past few years, despite being too young to qualify for a licence, new Government figures have revealed.
Since 2009, 5,333 under-age drivers have been banned from driving, despite not being entitled to drive legally in the first place.
The figures were published today by the motoring magazine Auto Express and were obtained through a Freedom of Information Request.
Five 11-year-olds have been banned since 2009, three of whom were convicted of 'aggravated taking of a vehicle' -- or stealing a car and driving it dangerously enough to cause damage or injury to people or property.
In addition to this, a 12-year-old was given a lifetime ban from driving earlier this year after being convicted of two counts of aggravated taking of a vehicle and one of failing to submit to a breathalyser test.
In total, two children caused death by dangerous driving, 389 were banned for dangerous driving, 470 were disqualified for drink-driving and 1,874 were convicted of aggravated taking of a vehicle.
Driving bans come into force from the time they are imposed, not from when the driver reaches 17.
AA spokesman Paul Watters said: "I think the average motorist will be horrified by these figures. Motoring lawlessness is a real problem in this country. Thankfully only a small minority of young people behave in this way."
Watters also defended the action of banning drivers who are not old enough to hold a licence, saying: "It's right that disqualifications start right away, rather than when the offender turns 17. You have to give young people the benefit of the doubt as far as possible.
“I think that just having the ban will act as a deterrent for most of these people -- the offence will be "on their record, so they'll have to be careful when they do reach driving age."
