The Infrastructure Minister has launched a publicity campaign for Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL), a new scheme for learner and newly qualified drivers in Northern Ireland that comes into force on 1 October 2026.

The campaign, branded Road Ready, begins on 17 August 2026 and uses television, digital, bus and on-street advertising. Its aim is to reduce the disproportionate involvement of new, primarily young, drivers in fatal and serious road collisions.

Under the new rules, a learner driver cannot sit the practical driving test until they have held a provisional licence for six months. Learners must also complete a logbook.

Newly qualified drivers must display an R plate for two years after passing their test, up from the current one year. Failure to display the R plate carries a fine of up to £1,000 and three penalty points.

In addition, drivers under the age of 24 are subject to passenger restrictions for the first six months after passing. Between 11pm and 6am they may carry no more than one passenger aged 14 to 20, unless the passengers are immediate family or there is a front-seat passenger aged 21 or over who has held a full driving licence for at least three years. Breaching this restriction carries a fine of up to £1,000 and three penalty points.

The R plate design is also changing. For the first six months after passing, drivers must display a blue R on a white background. For the following 18 months, the plate must be white on a blue background. The existing one-year R plate is red and white.

The 45mph speed restriction currently applied to R plate drivers will be removed from 1 October 2026.

The Department for Infrastructure says the changes are the most significant to driver licensing and testing since the 1950s. In 2024, there were 164 casualties killed or seriously injured in collisions where a car driver aged 17 to 23 was responsible. That age group accounts for 24 percent of fatal or serious collisions while holding only 8 percent of driving licences.

The department also cites research by consultancy TRL Limited indicating that GDL schemes reduce collisions involving young drivers by between 5 and 40 percent, depending on the strength of the components implemented. It points to countries such as Australia, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland and parts of the United States as having seen road safety improvements after adopting similar schemes.