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Parents want licence restrictions

Brake, a UK road-safety organisation, is calling for action to reduce the frequency of casualties among novice licensed drivers.

A survey of 1000 parents reported that 94%of parents fear for their son or daughter’s life when they are driving or getting a lift with another young person.

Many parents also believe their children take unnecessary risks behind the wheel.

80% of respondents wanted restrictions on new drivers during the first year of solo driving, such as a lower alcohol limit, a night-driving curfew and a limit on passenger numbers.

Parents were also willing to take steps themselves with 84% stating they would buy technology that could prevent their children speeding if it was available.

The survey also found that parents were aware of shocking levels of risk-taking at the wheel by their children:

27% believde their children drove after consuming alcohol, with parents of males more likely (31%) to report this compared to parents of females (25%).
41% believed their children drove while using a cellphone to call or SMS. Parents of males were more likely to report this (47%) compared to parents of females (34%).

'ONE IN FIVE WILL CRASH'

Ellen Booth, Brake's senior campaigns officer, said: “Parents of young drivers are worried, and rightly so, by the number of road deaths and serious injuries involving young people, but there are things they can do.

“Brake is urging the government to listen to parents’ concerns and introduce graduated licensing to counter young drivers’ inexperience and risk-taking."

According to UK statistics people aged 15-24 were more likely to die in a road crash than from any other cause of death. Those aged 17-24 accounted for 12% of licensed drivers but were involved in 25% of road deaths and serious injuries. One in five will crash in their first six months after passing their driving test and more than 3300 drivers and passengers aged 17-24 are killed or suffer serious injury as a result of a crash.

GRADUATED DRIVER LICENSING

In its Strategic Framework for Road Safety, published in May 2011, the UK government vowed to introduce a new post-test driving qualification, but Brake was concerned the proposals will not go far enough to tackle the problem. It wants a post-test programme to allow new drivers to build driving skill and experience while reducing the likelihood of a road incident.

The charity recommends a minimum learning period of one year before taking a test. Once passed, the novice driver would be allowed to drive unsupervised but would have restrictions on their licence for a minimum period of two years.

The proposed restrictions include a zero tolerance drink drive limit, restrictions on passengers and a late-night driving ban. After this period, the driver would take a second test to be fully licensed.

Such licensing has, it is claimed, reduced young driver deaths and injuries in countries such as the USA and New Zealand. The University of Cardiff found this type of system could save 200 lives a year.
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