1.1 Million Swap Foreign Driving Permits for UK Licences Since 1997

1.1 Million Swap Foreign Driving Permits for UK Licences Since 1997 PR Newswire LONDON, November 27, 2012 LONDON, November 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- 83,553 licences exchanged in 2011 alone, three times the 30,737 exchanged 15 years ago South African, Polish and Australian drivers account for highest number of licence exchanges since 1997 UK licence exchanging has almost doubled in past ten years - up 37,057 since 2001 Half (476,979) of swapped licences gained in right hand drive countries, yet handed UK licence without guidance or training More than one million motorists - an average of 62, 816 per year - from countries as far afield as Zimbabwe (37,515) and South Korea (13,368) have exchanged their foreign licences for a UK driving licence in the last 15 years, according to official Freedom of Information act (FOI) figures obtained by Cheap Car Insurance Provider, swiftcover.com. The number of licences exchanged per year peaked at 96,935 in 2007, before falling to 79,187 in 2009. Over the past three years, the number has risen steadily once again, reaching 83,553 in 2011. This compares to a total of 30,737 licences exchanged in 1997; 46,497 in 2001 and 68,625 in 2004. Almost half of these licences swapped since 1997 have been gained in a country where the driving test doesn't include driving on the left.