Fewer younger drivers are taking tests and buying cars, as the cost of living, plus poor job opportunities, low income etc restrict their mobility options. But for those who have wealthy parents to pick up the tab for lessons and tests, there is another hurdle; insurance. Much debate on social media seems to focus of the 3-5K quotes for new drivers, but the stats on incidents involving young drivers are not good (about 20-26% of under 21s are involved in a recorded accident), and then there are the unreported accidents on top.
Insurers are pricing risk at the end of the day and just one PI claim from a passenger, often unsecured, in the back of a car can cancel out thousands of 5K premiums. Millions can be paid out to cope with life-changing injuries, adapted housing, medical rehab etc. Insurance is a great healer of lives, not just asset replacement cash.
Here are some thoughts from the TRL and the AA on a graded system, similar to motorcycle licences/tests. Power/acceleration restrictions on the under 21 year old car drivers are long overdue by the way, especially as EVs can easily outperform a petrol car in terms of 0-60mph.
A stronger graduated driver licensing system could reduce casualties involving young drivers by around 30%, a leading road safety expert says in the latest episode of The Road Ahead with The AA.
Dr Shaun Helman, Chief Scientist of Behaviour at TRL, tells the podcast that evidence from around the world shows graduated driver licensing (GDL) can significantly improve young driver safety, with stronger systems producing greater benefits.
Young drivers represent just 6% of licence holders but account for 19% of car driver fatalities, while around 1,500 young drivers are killed or seriously injured each year.
The latest episode, released on Tuesday (10 November), examines why young and inexperienced drivers face a disproportionate risk and asks whether changes to the way people learn to drive and the rules they face after passing their test could save lives.
Hosted by Jack Cousens, The AA’s Head of Roads Policy, the episode brings together Dr Helman and Lorna Lee, AA Charitable Trust trustee and The AA’s Campaigns Manager.
The AA Charitable Trust is calling for new drivers under the age of 21 to face restrictions on carrying peer-age passengers during the first six months after passing their test.
Research discussed during the podcast shows that a young driver’s risk of crashing increases with every peer-age passenger in the vehicle.
Lorna Lee said: “You can be a really responsible 17, 18, 19 year old. You can not make any irresponsible decisions on that drive. You can be driving within the speed limit.
“And your inexperience can still result in tragedy because you haven’t got enough experience on wet roads, on headlight glare. There can be loads of different things and it’s just an experience.
“It doesn’t come down to how responsible as an individual you are.”
Dr Shaun Helman said: “Our estimate of effectiveness of this back in about 2014 was something in the region of maybe 30% reduction we can expect from a strong graduated licensing system in the UK. And that was a reasonably conservative estimate as well.
“I would say [that reduction] would be expected to on the basis of the evidence we’ve seen from around the world.
“This is not just a sort of, ‘oh, let’s see if this works’. It has worked pretty much everywhere it’s been tried.”
Northern Ireland takes action
The podcast also looks at the introduction of graduated driver licensing in Northern Ireland. Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins MLA explains the changes, including a minimum six-month learning period and restrictions on carrying passengers between 11pm and 6am, subject to exemptions.
She tells the podcast the changes are “very much evidence based”, pointing to international examples where graduated licensing has been introduced.
The episode also features Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander MP explaining why the UK Government decided against passenger restrictions for novice drivers in its road safety strategy.
The Transport Secretary says the Government sought to balance road safety with young people’s freedom to travel for work and other commitments, instead proposing consultation on measures including a three or six-month minimum learning period and a lower alcohol limit for novice drivers.
The AA and its guests consider whether those measures go far enough, with Dr Helman arguing that a 12-month minimum learning period would give learners greater opportunity to experience different roads, weather and driving conditions.
The full episode of The Road Ahead with The AA is available from Tuesday 10 November.
Watch Episode 2: Young Driver Safety: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1isMTuVJ3A
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