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Target teenagers, says ABI

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has launched a campaign to highlight recent figures showing a 12 per cent rise in the number of 16-19 year-old drivers and passengers killed on Britain's roads last year - at a time when the total number of deaths on Britain's roads fell by eight per cent

"Reducing accidents involving young drivers should be the number one road safety priority for Britain," said Stephen Haddrill , director general of the ABI. "Research carried out by the insurance industry shows that teenage drivers are 10 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than motorists in their 40s."

In a research paper published last week, Young Drivers: Road Safety and the Cost of Motoring, the ABI highlights reasons for the high accident rates. The paper sets out 10 ways in which young drivers could be safer - and reduce their motoring costs.

"Other countries have imposed greater restrictions on teenage drivers and we may have to adopt these if we don't make quick progress," Mr Haddrill said. "But it would be much better if we could reduce the dangers through education and information. Effective action now will save lives and enable us to get the costs of driving and insurance down for young people."

For the first time, the ABI has collected all the facts about young drivers and insurance. Young drivers, particularly young men, make many more claims, and the cost of each claim is higher.

The ABI's research reveals that:

• In 2003, 17-18 year old men were more than twice as likely to make an insurance claim than 30-59 year old men.
• The average cost of a motor claim in 2003 was much higher for young drivers - and much higher for men than women.
• A higher proportion of accidents involving young drivers takes place at night or the weekend.
• Young drivers are much more likely to have an accident as a result of speeding, particularly on a bend, driving competitively with other cars, drink/driving, or allowing passengers to distract them. They are also much more likely to be carrying passengers when they have an accident.

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