Kerb your enthusiasm: New drivers take three-and-a-half years to get the hang of motoring Two-thirds of motorists under 25 say they lack confidence when driving More than half afraid to drive in snow and freezing weather A quarter said young drivers do not wear a seat belt behind the wheel It takes motorists three-and-a-half years to get the hang of driving after receiving their licence, a study has found. Two-thirds of drivers under 25 still lack confidence on the roads with many frequently struck by nerves on roundabouts, motorways and in the dark. The report also found the typical young driver has had three near misses since passing their test and openly admitted they were at fault. Slow down: It takes three-and-a-half-years for a new motorist to get the hang of driving Weather was named another reason for lacking confidence on the road, with more than half of 2,000 drivers polled, said driving in snow and freezing conditions frightened them. One in ten said they were anxious when driving with other people in the car, with parents being declared as the worst passengers. The study, conducted by driving monitor company Swinton, said it takes on average three-and-a-half years to "get the hang of driving." More than half of those questioned felt that young drivers were perceived as reckless and 'boy racers' but only ten per cent felt this stereotype was true. Despite this, 67 per cent said their generation was guilty of playing music loudly in their cars and 44 per cent said they aimlessly cruise around. For a reason: Just over a quarter of the under-25 drivers polled said drivers their age do not wear a seatbelt and 42 per cent said they use their phone while behind the wheel A third said their age group was also guilty of congregating in car parks and modifying their vehicles. More worryingly though, 26 per cent said young drivers don't wear seat belts and 42 per cent said they talk on their mobile phone whilst driving. Driving in snow Driving in freezing conditions Driving in fog Motorway driving Parallel parking Roads you don't know Driving in city centres Driving in the rain Over taking lorries Driving on country roads Over taking Narrow streets Heavily congested roads Driving in the dark Parking in car parks Other misdemeanours novice drivers admitted to were eating behind the wheel, speeding and driving barefoot. Steve Chelton of Swinton said: "It's understandable that young drivers are nervous about certain situations on the roads. However in most cases the more you drive, the more experience on the roads you will gain and as a result confidence grows Driving can be daunting so it's only natural that it takes a while to overcome weather conditions, new roads, driving at night or having passengers in the car. But three quarters of 17-25 year-olds claim to have it hard due to the rising costs of driving in the UK and due to the reputation that young drivers have. More than half felt young motorists were victimised when compared to other drivers. When questioned over the Government's new plans to ban new drivers from carrying passengers for nine months after passing their test 58 per cent disagreed with the proposal. Only 20 per cent felt it would be a good move. Two-thirds felt elderly drivers were more worthy of having a bad reputation than they were and 45 per cent felt that white van men were guilty of more offences than they were.