The Driver Licence File maintained by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) at Swansea has considerable potential for contributing to research into road safety. This report studies the incidence of driving offences by analysing the offence details contained in a sample of approximately 1 per cent of all licence records from 1985-1997. The analyses show that the rate of driving offences committed varies considerably with the driver's age and sex, also by the type of licence held (provisional or full). In recent years, the rates have been highest among young men with full licenses and lowest among women with provisional licenses. There are clear regional differences, with the highest rates for men and women being found in North West England. Corresponding analyses have also been made of three types of offence: Speeding, Careless Driving and Drink/Driving, although the limited sample size limits the precision of the results which can be achieved. (A)
Abstract