The Association of British Insurers is proposing a series of measures which it wants introduced to try and cut down on the number of road accidents involving young drivers.
The ABI says that drivers aged between 17 and 24 are involved in a disproportionately high number of crashes and fatalities and says moves to tackle this problem are long overdue. Among the moves proposed are restrictions on driving at night, which is already used in a number of other countries, and a restriction on the number of passengers a new driver can take in their car.
The ABI also recommends that people should have at least a year learning to drive before taking their test, and, for the first six months, should have a “graduated licence” rather than a full one, though it does say that drivers should be able to start learning six months prior to their 17th birthday.
ABI’s director general Otto Thorensen says that cars are potentially lethal weapons and younger drivers should be helped to become more accomplished, safer drivers. He added that, if this could be achieved, it would benefit them in terms of lower motor insurance costs.
Statistics show that an 18-year-old is three times more likely than a 48-year-old to be involved in an accident, while a third of road fatalities are under the age of 25, despite these drivers only accounting for one in eight of all those behind the wheel. The ABI added: “Young drivers are far more likely to be involved in crashes involving three to five high value bodily injury claims, reflecting the increased risk they face of having a serious crash while carrying passengers.”
