ABI Campaigns to Make Roads Safer For Under 25 Year Olds
Campaign for Safe Young Drivers ‘wants radical change to the driving test’
We all know that there can be distractions experienced whilst driving. Whether it be from a mobile ‘phone or young children squabbling in the back of the car. Unfamiliar routes on country lanes or driving in an unfamiliar town or city demands extra concentration, as does driving at night or in severe weather whether it be rain, snow and ice or fog.
More experienced drivers are likely to be able to adapt and react in such situations. Do young drivers recognise these potential dangers and distractions, thus adjusting their driving to take account of these?
A survey undertaken by YouGov (December 2012) for the Association of British Insurers, found that many young people do at times, find it difficult to concentrate when driving and can be easily distracted whilst doing so.
The ABI report their findings of common distractions affecting young, inexperienced drivers:
Speeding -. A quarter of young people find it acceptable to speed on a country road. 37% of young people are more likely to be involved in a collision on country roads than in urban areas.
Friends – over half of young drivers admit to been distracted when they have friends in car.
Music – 44% said they were distracted by music in the car.
Drink-driving – breath test failures following accidents involving casualties are highest in those under 25.
Mobile ‘phone devices – whether using to call, text or using an app, these cause distractions. A third of those questioned admitted to distractions from a mobile whilst driving.
The RoSPA report similar concerns, stating that young people are often poor at identifying potential hazards and assessing risk, and tend to overestimate their ability to avoid hazards and accidents.
They suggest that increasing the amount of driving experience a learner has (through professional and private practice), and post-test training would be a positive step to improve the safety of young drivers.
Kevin Clinton, RoSPA head of road safety states, “We need young drivers to gain more experience while they are learning, so encouraging them to spend extra hours behind the wheel in a variety of driving situations would have major benefits. It is known that crash rates fall when this happens.”
The ABI is leading the campaign, ‘Safe Young Drivers’ and is calling for radical changes to the driving test system. These include measures to:
- Introduce a one year minimum learning period
- Limiting the number of passengers allowed in a car with a new young driver
- Curfew on night time driving
- Zero tolerance on alcohol
Sources: Assocaition of British Insures RoSPA
