Young drivers are far more likely to be involved in serious road accidents than other motorists: 17-20 year old male drivers are almost ten times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than more experienced drivers and, on average, one young person aged 16-19 dies each day on UK roads travelling as either a driver or a passenger. While the greater risk that young drivers face on the road is generally acknowledged, there has been a debate for some time over whether to take action to address the problem, and what actions would be appropriate. It has been difficult to reach a consensus because many of the actions shown to be effective involve restricting the mobility of young road users, e.g. by keeping them off the roads at night. Consequently, there has been no serious reform of young driver licensing in the UK. There have been innovative attempts at improving driver testing (introducing the theory and hazard perception tests) and post-test training (for example, Pass Plus), but evidence suggests that these measures alone are not sufficient to tackle the road safety problem of young drivers. The ABI is committed to reducing the number of young people killed and seriously injured on UK roads. In partnership with BRAKE, the Make Roads Safe campaign, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, the RAC Foundation and RoadSafe, the ABI has devised a set of proposals to tackle the underlying reasons that make many young drivers dangerous. All these organizations support the following: • a minimum learning period before the driving test can be taken, enabling drivers to undertake supervised practice without an incentive to rush to take the practical test; • a structured learning programme for all new drivers, covering the different road and traffic conditions learner drivers should experience before taking the test. This could be implemented via a logbook in which the driver would record the number of hours spent driving, and their experience; • encouragement for young drivers to carry fewer passengers. This could be implemented through a requirement not to carry more than a certain number of passengers during the first few months of driving, or graded penalties for accidents while carrying passengers. Another option is a targeted advertising campaign to remind young drivers of the particular risks they face when driving with others in the car; • encouragement for young drivers to avoid driving at night. Some insurers are already offering lower premiums to young drivers who only drive during the day. A targeted advertising campaign to remind young drivers of the particular risks they face when driving at night should also be launched. Some of the organisations listed above support further additional measures. The package of proposals described in the report strikes a balance between young drivers’ mobility and road safety. (Author/publisher)
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