Young drivers account for around 20% of road deaths, even though they comprise only 7% of full licence holders1 and drive less mileage than other drivers. In 2013, 131 young drivers (aged 17 — 24 years) were killed and 1,159 were seriously injured. Young drivers pose a serious risk to other road users, as well as to themselves. Of the 337 people killed in crashes involving young car drivers in 2013, 131 were young drivers, 59 were their passengers and 147 were other road users. Many changes over the last few decades have sought to reduce young driver risk, including the Theory and Hazard Perception Tests, extending the Practical Driving Test, a new learning to drive syllabus, New Drivers Act and Pass Plus. However, young drivers continue to face and create a high and disproportionate risk; one in five crash within their first six months of driving. They have a higher crash risk than other drivers, their crashes are more likely to be severe, and they make more, and more expensive, insurance claims. A morre radical approach is needed. No single measure will be effective on its own; a comprehensive package of complementary measures is needed. A Government Green Paper to explore options for improving the safety of newly-qualified drivers was expected in 2013, but was not published because the Government was “wrestling with how to make things safer, while not unduly restricting the freedom of our young people.” PACTS agrees that this is a difficult balance to achieve, and that driving is an important part of education and employment for many people. However, these issues are not insurmountable, and also need to consider the freedom of all road users to travel as safely as possible. Therefore, the signatories to this letter urge all political parties to include a commitment in their General Election Manifestos to publish a Green Paper on Young Drivers. This would enable a well-informed debate on this important issue, and help all come to a consensus on the range of options for achieving a step change in reducing crashes and casualties involving young drivers. While PACTS does not seek to be prescriptive about the content of such a Green Paper, their recommendations for the options to be considered are summarised. (Author/publisher)
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