A new survey reveals that younger drivers are still at the greatest risk of having an accident with a quarter being involved in an accident in their first six months on the road and 40% having an accident by the time they are 23 years old.
The AA/Populus survey of 14,000 drivers is entitled Young Drivers at Risk and was released in conjunction with the Make Roads Safer campaign which calls for those below the age of 17 to have safe, off-road opportunities to drive before they eventually have proper lessons and take their driving test.
Edmund King, director of the AA, said that driving skills should be honed throughout life but can start well before the age of 17 with practical road safety education. He said: “Road crashes are not only the leading cause of death and injury for young people in the UK, but also across the world. “
The report has also been endorsed by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, whose chief executive Simon Best said that younger drivers were often guilty of overconfidence and inexperience. He said that driver training for those under the age of 17 would help in this regard and could be a fun way of introducing young people to safe driving.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/road-safety/9412798/Young-drivers-ar...
