In the last few years, the proportion of young drivers killed or seriously injured on our roads has increased, while the overall number of deaths and serious injuries has fallen. Young people value their cars and the mobility they provide. The Association of British Insurers, Brake, the Make Roads Safe campaign, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, the RAC Foundation and RoadSafe have joined forces to devise proposals to enable young people to be safer drivers and to save lives. While some of us advocate additional initiatives, they all support the following proposals: a minimum learning period before the driving test, 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 they had 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. For example, some insurers are offering lower premiums to young drivers who only drive during the day. An information campaign to remind young drivers of the particular risks they face when driving at night should also be launched. (Author/publisher)
Abstract