04.10.12
Insurers call for restrictions on young drivers
Learner drivers should spend at least a year displaying L plates before being allowed to take their driving test, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has recommended.
In a new report, the ABI calls for a reduction on the drink driving limit to no blood alcohol content for drivers aged under-25 and restrictions on young people driving between 11pm and 4am.
There are only one in eight drivers under the age of 25, yet they account for a third of those killed in road accidents, statistics show. Additionally, 27% of personal injury car insurance claims in excess of £500,000 result from crashes involving drivers aged 17-24.
Director general of the ABI, Otto Thoresen, said: “Radical action is needed to reduce the tragic waste of young lives on our roads.
“A car is potentially a lethal weapon, and we must do more to help young drivers better deal with the dangers of driving. Improving the safety of young drivers will also mean they will face lower motor insurance costs.
“We have all sidestepped this issue for too long. Northern Ireland is introducing reforms, and politicians in Westminster should follow their lead in introducing meaningful reform to help today’s young drivers become tomorrow’s safer motorists.”
The report is at: www.abi.org.uk/Publications/64182.pdf
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