CIS & Brake launch new incentive to cut young driver deaths

Every week 13 young people aged 15-25 die on Britain's roads - that's the equivalent of an entire football team and substitutes.

In a continued joint effort to address these shocking statistics The Co-operative Insurance and Brake, the national road safety charity, have launched an initiative to help cut the shocking number of deaths among young people on the roads.

The 2 Young 2 Die website 2young2die.org.uk not only highlights the deadly results of bad driving it also provides an opportunity for much wider groups of young people and individuals to learn about the carnage caused by bad driving and find out why safe driving is crucial.

Road crashes remain the leading cause of death for young people. Many young drivers take extreme risks such as overtaking on blind corners, speeding and driving while drunk or drugged, and gamble with their own lives and the lives of their friends and other drivers.

The 2 Young 2 Die website provides an opportunity for young people to see and learn about the impact caused by bad driving and to find out why safe driving is so crucial. The site contains first-hand accounts of the horrors of road crashes from people who have been bereaved or seriously injured and includes sections on speeding, drink and drug driving, driving whilst tired, driving distractions, not wearing a seat belt and vehicle maintenance. The site is been specifically designed so it can be used within a classroom environment, by individuals and within groups such as youth offender institutions.

David Neave, Director of General Insurance at Co-operative Insurance, said: "The number of young people killed on our roads each year continues to paint a very worrying picture. We believe that education aimed at young drivers is key to reducing the number of young people killed on our roads. We want to empower as many young adults from across the spectrum of our society with the awareness they need to stay alive on the roads."

Mary Williams OBE, Brake Chief Executive, said: "Deaths and serious injuries of young people in cars devastate families and communities and it is our fervent hope that the site will save lives by giving young people the knowledge and awareness they desperately need to make safe choices. We urge young people, teachers and parents to visit the site and use it. It could make the difference between a young driver driving drunk or speeding this weekend and killing all of their friends, or everyone making it safely home."

David Neave added: "We are delighted to have been able to work with Brake to produce the 2 Young 2 Die website which builds on the success of the 2 Young 2 Die schools educational resource pack. This initiative provides an ideal opportunity to target and educate a much wider number of those most at risk - the young and inexperienced. We want to encourage young people to act responsibly as drivers and passengers".

The 2 Young 2 Die website will also be used extensively in the Brake Academy, which trains professionals and individuals to deliver FREE road safety presentations to teenagers.