With more than a quarter of deaths of 15 to 19 year olds occurring as a result of road collisions, it’s very important that young drivers feel safe and confident in their skills behind the wheel. That’s why it’s so concerning that a recent research study found that, unfortunately, this is not the case.
Vision Zero
A study by Continental Tyres’ Vision Zero campaign uncovered worrying results, which showed that nearly 50% of young drivers admit that they are unsafe on the road. Unfortunately, two thirds of parents agree that their child is at risk.
The study, which surveyed 1,000 motorists aged 17-24 and 1,000 parents of young drivers, also found that young people feel under-equipped with general car knowledge. Half of young motorists said that they didn’t know anything about basic car maintenance, and less than half of the young drivers questioned knew about legal tyre tread requirements.
One in five admitted that, in the event of a puncture occurring on their vehicle, they did not know what course of action they should follow – including whether or not they had a spare. Knowing what to do in the event of a problem with your tyres is important for all drivers; check out our guide to tyres for more information.
Learning about road safety
According to The Express, the Vision Zero campaign is all about striving to improve road safety in the UK, which is why the study is so important in improving the knowledge that young drivers have – both of their vehicle and of driving best practices. This summer the UK driving theory test, which was designed to help ensure safer journeys and reduce the number of people involved in accidents, turned 20 years old. The survey has unearthed feelings that perhaps the age of the theory test, paired with the ageing practical driving test, means that young drivers are not being taught enough about road safety.
2017 is set to see the driving test adapt in a bid to improve safety on UK roads. Autocar reported that “reversing round a corner and turning in the road will be replaced by ‘real-life’ manoeuvres such as reversing into and driving out of a parking bay”. Not only this, but independent driving time during the test will be double from 10 to 20 minutes.
Mark Griffiths, safety expert at Continental Tyres, said: “Every day in the UK, around nine people die or are seriously injured from a road accident that involves a young car driver.
“It is vital for 17 to 24 year olds to receive adequate road safety information as they learn to drive, setting them up for a lifetime of safe motoring.”
Road safety and insurethebox
insurethebox are long-time advocates of road safety in the UK, with our insurance policies designed to encourage and incentivise safe driving for our customers. As a company we’re dedicated to helping road users become safer – including less experienced young and new drivers. Here you can find more articles and guides that are designed to give drivers the information they need to be safer behind the wheel, from tips on driving in difficult conditions to raising awareness around fatal road behaviour, such as speeding.
When you insure with us our telematics data can help you learn how to improve your driving and become a safer driver. Thanks to our the feedback in our driver Portal you can view the information collected from your black box, which can show you where you are doing well and where you could perhaps do with improving. From your braking style to acceleration and times of day you travel, you can learn how to improve – and potentially earn Bonus Miles rewards by doing so. Ultimately, we can help you become a better and safer driver, and help towards making our road network a safer place.
With young drivers more likely to be in road accidents than other, more experienced, driver groups, we make sure that we’re helping these young motorists with our advice.