Why, when, and where young drivers are most at risk

A motorists’ gender, age and their inexperience of driving have been highlighted as the key factors on the safety of novice drivers according to data released by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

The survey, ‘Young drivers – where and when they are unsafe’ looked at almost a quarter of a million motorists between the ages of 17 and 70 years old who were involved in accidents that resulted in some being killed or seriously injured between 2000 and 2006.

The study showed why, when and where young drivers under the age of 25 years old are at most risk:

• When they are in older makes of car
• When there are three or more casualties in the car
• When running off the road and hitting a roadside object
• On Friday and Saturday nights
• On rural class ‘C’ roads or unclassified roads
• When skidding the car and possibly turning it over
• In single vehicle accidents involving no other road user
• In poor weather conditions such as fog, mist or rain
• In ‘fine’ weather when the roads are wet
• On bends, particularly on rural roads

Drivers under the age of 20 years old are at most risk according to the findings, whilst motorists under the age of 25 years old have a far higher chance of being involved in a fatal accident or one where people are left seriously injured. The report also identifies young men as being twice as likely to be involved in a road crash as young women are.

The study was able to explain why and pinpoint what needs to be done to make the roads a safer place for young drivers and other road users. They included:

• Encourage a better understanding of driving on different road surfaces and in different weather conditions.
• Make learner drivers aware of when they are at most risk
• Introduce road safety education into core school curriculum
• Guide parents to help in making their children become safer drivers
• Persuade car insurance companies to offer reduced premiums if learners are practicing in a low risk environment such as when using the family car
• Offer corrective education and training for young drivers identified as being unsafe
• Allow police enforcement to remove dangerous, uninsured and unlicensed drivers from the roads
• Emphasise the need for training and improvement before sitting a driving test
• Invest money to make roads safe by introducing skid-resistant surfaces or crash barriers
• Remove potentially lethal roadside objects
• Encourage new technologies in today’s cars, that will be driven in the future by young drivers

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