Young Drivers are More at Risk of Accidental Death

The Department for Transport have said that eight out of ten accidental deaths involving 15 to 19 year old men in Great Britain are road casualties. With figures like this it is easy to see why car insurance premiums are higher for young drivers than for more experienced road users. Information released by the Department for Transport shows that everyday four people are killed or injured in accidents which involve younger motorists.

In a research report published by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) it’s revealed that: “In the last few years, the proportion of young drivers killed or seriously injured on our roads has increased, while the overall number of deaths and serious injuries has fallen.” The ABI have joined forces with Brake, RoadSafe, the Parliamentary Council for Transport Safety and the RAC Foundation. Together the organisations aim to make young motorists safer on the roads.

Young drivers are far more likely to be involved in a serious road accident than older motorists. 17 to 20 year old men are almost 5 times more likely to be in an accident which involves casualty than 30 to 59 year old men. In 2005 almost 1200 young drivers were killed or badly injured on British roads, that’s more than 3 each day. Almost 1 in 4 passengers who have suffered serious road accident injuries were the passenger of a young driver at the time.

Because of these higher accident statistics car insurance companies can only offer young drivers expensive insurance deals. Younger drivers are over twice more likely to need to make a claim than mature motorists. But more shockingly, the average cost of each claim made by a younger driver is three times greater. The ABI have said that the two main reasons for young drivers having more accidents are a lack of experience in different driving conditions and “an inclination to take unnecessary risks.”

“Many young drivers have a poor appreciation of road conditions and are unable to adapt their driving style where necessary.” The ABI’s research report says. The report also states that less experienced drivers often overestimate their ability and safety on the road. Accidents are especially likely to occur when young motorists are driving at night, driving on wet roads or negotiating bends.

Driving at night poses a threat to young drivers because according to the ABI report: “Driving in the dark requires different skills from driving during daylight hours. Drivers are also more likely to be under the influence of drink or drugs at night.

Consequently, over 50% of accidents involving young male drivers that result in death or serious injury occur at night, compared with 35% for older drivers.”

The report also says that: “Young drivers double their risk of death or serious injury when driving at night.” Young drivers negotiating bends suffer twice as many accidents as older drivers and 40% of accidents which involve young drivers occur on wet roads. The report also says that young people drive 11% faster on average than more experienced drivers and “excess speed increases the likelihood of an accident.”