Newly Qualified Drivers Should Not Carry Under-21 Passengers
New recommendations from the British Automobile Association (the AA) are urging the British government to stop newly qualified drivers, who are also under 21, from having passengers in their cars who are of a similar age.
They are also suggesting doubling the penalty point system in the UK for traffic violations, such as not wearing a seatbelt, meaning far more of them would lose their licenses. The AA maintain that the proposal could stop almost 1000 serious injuries and prevent 58 deaths per year on the British roads.
If accepted by the Government it would mean that new drivers would have to display a prominent ‘G’ sticker (G for graduated) on their vehicles punishable by a three-point penalty, should they fail to do so.
In the UK for senior drivers there is a 12-point system for offenses in a three-year period. Once you have accumulated the points your license will be suspended for a period depending on the nature of the offences. For new drivers it is more stringent with a six-point max before you have your license cancelled and you need to go for another test.
In the UK, young drivers statistics show that there were 290 people killed and 4669 injured in accidents that involved a driver under the age of 24. The AA believe that there could be as much as a 40% reduction if the new measures were adopted.
The measures as suggested are not new nor unique, many countries such as Malaysia have adopted regulations such as this. But, I am not sure that it will have that sort of impact that the AA wish for as young drivers tend to be gung-ho and would probably risk getting into an accident confident in the knowledge that the Police are unlikely to catch them, unless something goes wrong and that never happens, right?
Nevertheless, the following information from the AA article is a bit sobering;
- 72% AA members think graduated licence limiting passengers is a good idea,
- One in five young drivers crash within a year of passing their test.
- 1500 newly qualified drivers are killed or seriously injured each year.
- With every extra same-age passenger, you are four times more likely to crash.
- Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years old (World Health Organisation)
- In 2022 young drivers involved in 22% fatal collisions but made up just 8% licence holders
- Every week four young 17 to 29-year-olds that are killed or seriously injured were NOT wearing seat belts
- 2022 30% fatalities amongst 17 to 29-year-olds were NOT wearing seat belts
- Graduated licences work in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada
- 20% to 40% could avoid death or serious injury with graduated licences supporting new drivers
Source: https://www.theaa.com/about-us/newsroom/aa-and-graduated-licences