Why is this event being run?
Here are some statistics to explain why the partner organisations are taking part :
The facts and Figures!
- The riskiest drivers are in the 17-19 age group. They are the most inexperienced but, as they grow older and move into the age groups 20 and over, their growing post-test driving experience makes them less likely to be in a crash
- Under 25s are just 9 per cent of all driving licence holders but they are involved in almost a 25% of all crashes that cause death and injury
- In their first year of driving, 23 per cent of drivers who pass their test between the ages of 17-19 have been involved in at least one crash, compared with 12 per cent who are over 25 when they pass the test
- Oldest drivers are the safest. Years of experience and a safer attitude to driving more than compensate for infirmity and slower reaction time that age brings
Rural roads: the biggest killer
- In Wales and Scotland, three-quarters of fatalities occur on rural roads, compared with two-thirds on rural roads in England; more than half of serious injuries are on rural roads in Wales and Scotland, compared with less than half in England
Age
- A third of fatal and serious injury casualties on rural roads are in cars driven by young drivers, twice as many as in cars with a driver over the age of 60
Cars driven by younger drivers that are involved in rural fatal and serious injury crashes are more likely to have three or more car-occupant casualties than any other age group
The facts are that 30% of our younger people will be involved in a road traffic accident within 2 years of passing their test and that this group of inexperienced drivers are the most likely to be that worst of all statistic - a road fatality with all the impact that this brings to family and friends.