Young drivers still have lessons to learn
Shocking research released by The Co-operative Insurance and Brake, the road safety charity, has revealed that 30 per cent of young drivers admit continuing to drive recklessly and illegally, despite the deadly consequences.
As part of The Co-operative Insurance's ongoing ‘2 Young 2 Die' campaign, in association with national road safety charity Brake, 3,548 drivers under the age of 25 were polled via its unique website 2young2die.org.uk and shockingly 1,065 admitted to putting not only their own, but other road users' lives at risk by flouting laws and driving dangerously.
A quarter (25 per cent) of young people admitted to driving a car without insurance, without a valid MOT certificate and, even more worryingly, without a driving licence.
Despite road safety campaigns which clearly illustrate the devastating consequences of fast, irresponsible and dangerous driving, 35 per cent of young drivers admitted to regularly breaking speed limits in built up areas, with over a quarter (26 per cent) owning up to racing their friends through the streets.
Figures show that 2,538 people were killed on Britain's roads in 2008, of these nearly one in three (764) deaths were young people and children under the age of 25. 26,034 were seriously injured in road crashes which amounts to 71 people suffering serious injury every day, with a further 204,871 sustaining minor injuries.*
Driving whilst using mobile phones is seemingly commonplace amongst younger drivers, with nearly half (42 per cent) admitting to chatting or texting whilst driving. With nearly a fifth (18 per cent) of young people admitting to dangerous driving practices, such as overtaking on blind bends, driving without a seatbelt (15 per cent) and driving cars that often have mechanical faults (18 per cent) - a disaster waiting to happen.
The 2 Young 2 Die website 2young2die.org.uk launched by Brake and The Co-operative Insurance 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 so crucial.
David Neave, Director of General Insurance at The Co-operative Insurance, said: "These figures clearly show that whilst positive steps have been made in educating young people about road safety there is still a huge amount of work that needs to be done.
"We believe that more needs to be done to make young drivers more aware of the deadly consequences of irresponsible driving and to highlight the drastic consequences flouting the law can have. In partnership with the Government we believe that the insurance industry has a vital role to play in tackling irresponsible driving."
Cathy Keeler, deputy chief executive of Brake, said: "It's shocking that so many young people take such appalling risks when driving. In reality their inexperience and risk-taking makes them most likely to be responsible for killing or injuring others on the road. Brake urges all young people to take the responsibility of driving seriously, making sure they're fully insured and driving legally, and never taking risks such as texting their friends while driving or overtaking on a blind bend. Following this commonsense approach to driving and avoiding the risks outlined on 2young2die.org.uk will help keep them safe on the road."