69% of parents think specific action should be taken to make young drivers safer

Insurers pushing for the government to introduce measures to reduce death and injury amongst young drivers have received backing from the parents of 16-24 year olds according to research carried out by Allianz.

This data supports the argument that change is needed, as statistics show that car crashes are the biggest cause of accidental death among young people.

The survey of 1,000 parents with children aged between 16-24 revealed that 69% of parents think specific action should be taken to make young drivers safer.

Of the measures proposed by various road safety experts to help reduce the young driver accident rate, the parents in the survey favoured some ideas more than others. For example

• 73% of parents want to see a 12 month probationary driving period
• 68% said they want the number of passengers restricted after the test has been passed
• 63% want the driving test raised to 18Less popular was the idea of introducing a curfew for young drivers with 45% of parents agreeing that this is a good idea.

Reflecting on the results, an Allianz said:

“Over 80% of the parents said they were anxious about the safety of young drivers. Add this to the clear opinions parents have about the measures to improve their safety, and we have another compelling reason why the industry must continue to push the government to take action on this issue.”