Taking lessons earlier cuts car insurance costs for young drivers

It is terrifying to dwell on the death and injury statistics that envelop the world of young drivers like some kind of virtual shroud or, heaven forbid, coffin.

The most current figures show that 300 newly qualified drivers and their passengers are killed on UK roads each year - and ten times as many are seriously injured.

Brake, the national road safety charity, has worked out that one in five new drivers crash within six months of passing their test.

Hardly surprising then that many parents do not want to attend their children's funerals and are anxious to persuade them to stay out of the driving seat.

According to research, three main factors determine how people drive, and their likelihood of being in a crash:

  1. Age - drivers under 25 have an exceptionally high risk; the risk is greatest for drivers under 20, who are the most inexperienced.
  2. Experience - the risk of being in a crash peaks immediately after passing the driving test, and declines steadily over the following 12 months and beyond, as new drivers learn from solo driving experiences.
  3. Gender - younger male drivers are up to twice as likely to be in a crash as younger females.
And there are several conditions that lead to younger drivers experiencing more crashes than older drivers:
  • Older cars with less approved crash protection

  • Three or more passengers in the car on Friday and Saturday nights

  • On rural class or unclassified roads

  • Single vehicle crashes involving no other road-user

  • Running off the road and hitting a roadside object

  • Skidding and possibly overturning

  • In fog, mist or rain, or on wet roads in fine weather

  • On bends, particularly on rural roads

  • Young men are at significantly greater risk than young women

No wonder then that more and more these days, public transport is an attractive option for getting around more safely, especially when car insurance for young drivers is usually prohibitively expensive, often costing thousands - not hundreds - of pounds.

However, if young people do decide to become road warriors, it is not surprising that parents - now more than ever - are prepared to dip into their pockets and pay for supplementary driver training to help keep their offspring safe.

For new drivers, the DSA (Driving Standards Agency) has designed a course called Pass Plus. Also, the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) offer driver training courses to improve motoring safety.

An alternative driving session is also on offer for drivers younger than the legal driving age. The Driving Academy at Mercedes-Benz World charges £80 for a driving experience session. About 15,000 young people aged under 17 years old have taken lessons at the Surrey-based academy.

According to research and experts, lessons at an earlier age provide more experience before taking tests.

Evidence that this approach improves accident and mortality rates is compelling. In Sweden, the government cut the age by a year at which young motorists could begin to drive. This gave youngsters 18 months to practice before taking a driving test.

This had the effect of increasing hours they spent behind the wheel before passing from 50 to 120, leading to a 40% reduction in youth driver accidents across the country.

The argument is that young drivers are top of the driving safety risk table for two reasons: they lack driving experience and they are immature show-offs. By starting driving lessons at earlier ages, they are able to develop better technique and experience before driving out on their own.

There is then some hope that the young drivers' death and injury toll can be cut, and cut dramatically. It is encouraging to note that the risk of new drivers being involved in a crash is reduced by half a month after a test - and then the rate keeps falling month after month.