Young drivers take the most risks
Posted by Fiona Birkwood
Motorists are in breach of the law if they drive with broken car lights, but it is young drivers who take the most risks while on the road, according to the road safety charity Brake.
The charity is calling for the government to raise the minimum age at which people are allowed to gain their driving licences.
Mary Williams, chief executive at Brake, said: "Young peoples cognitive abilities finish developing in their mid-20s, while their thrill seeking tendencies are developed by the time they are about 15."
She went on to say that Brake has long been campaigning for the driving test age to be raised to 18 or even higher.
Ms Williams added that there are many other measures that the government could introduce that would also reduce the number of accidents and casualties on the UKs roads.
One such example is graduated driver licensing, which already exists in many countries, including America, and allows new drivers to build up their driving skills and experience gradually.
I know everyone says young drivers cause more accident etc, and statistics support that, but my experience suggests otherwise. The vast majority of bad driving (overtaking round corners, driving 100mph in a 60mph zone etc) is by people in their forties wearing a suit and driving an BMW or Mecedes or something. In other words people who probably consider themselves a respected member of society – who are actually risking causes major injuries and deaths to others.