Insurance body ABI launches Safe Young Drivers campaign

By Matthew Plant

It's Road Safety Week - and the Association of British Insurers is launching a campaign for Safe Young Drivers. It follows research indicating most of us believe restrictions on young drivers would help make the roads safer.

For people aged 15-24, the biggest single cause of accidental death is dying in a car.

The figures speak for themselves: last year, almost 5,500 people were seriously injured or killed in accidents in which at least one young driver was involved. It seems young men are particularly at risk: two out of every five 17-year-old male drivers have an accident within six months of getting on the road.

In general, the public are well aware that younger drivers tend to be riskier drivers. Over three quarters of 3,742 people surveyed said young drivers should face restrictions when they pass their test.

Here's a look at some of the other ideas many of the respondents supported:

• A restriction on the number of young passengers a young driver can carry when they're newly qualified (71% of respondents supported this idea).
• A learning period of at least one year before they're allowed to take their driving test (57%).
• A restriction on night-time driving (between 11pm and 4am) for youngsters who've recently passed their test (58%).

Calling on the Government to "join the campaign and take these recommendations forward", James Dalton (the ABI's Head of Motor) said that "Improving the safety of young drivers will also mean that motor insurance premiums will become more affordable for families with young drivers."

As the ABI points out, other countries have already taken steps to improve younger drivers' safety records.

The introduction of post-test restrictions has led to 'significant improvements in road safety for young drivers' in New Zealand, in parts of Canada and Australia - and in every one of the United States.

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