Research highlights need for pre-driver education

Research from road safety charity Brake showing that six in ten young drivers admit driving at illegal, life threatening speeds further highlights the need for an increase in road safety education in schools.

esure car insurance welcomes this important research which highlights the growing problem of irresponsible driving on our roads, particularly amongst young people and agrees that excess speeds, in rural or urban areas, are a major contributing factor to the shocking number of young people who are involved in major road accidents. However, esure does not feel that the problem can be solved by simply getting tough with young drivers.

esure holds the view that the problem does not lie with driving skills, but with young people's attitude to risk, safety and the law. The use of road safety initiatives targeted at children approaching driving age can help reduce the disproportionately large number of serious road traffic accidents caused by and involving young people.

For several years, esure has been supporting education programmes aimed at changing the way young, particularly male drivers, view risk on the road. While we agree with Brake that a range of measures are needed to tackle the problem, we are sure that the attitudes to driving must be tackled at school and before young people ever get behind the wheel.

Mike Pickard, Head of Risk and Underwriting for esure said: "These statistics show a worrying trend in the attitude young drivers have towards road safety. The Government must take steps to encourage greater education within schools to better prepare young drivers before they take to the roads. Only by dramatically improving the education initiatives targeting this group will we be successful in changing the attitudes of young people and fostering a culture of responsible driving.

The Government must realise that an attitudinal shift is necessary and that enforcement, or the threat of enforcement alone, is not sufficient to achieve this."