50% Of Drivers Want The Driving Age Raised To 18
According to research, half of all British drivers believe the driving age should be raised from 17 to 18. With many likely being motivated by safety concerns…
Should We Increase The Driving Age?
A new survey, conducted by car insurance provider Veygo, has revealed that 50% of motorists wanted the driving age increased; from 17 to 18. Over 2,000 motorists were included in the research. As many as one in every two drivers want the age raised. That said, 42% suggested that it was fine as it is. Just 5% called for the age to be lowered to 16. The research also discovered that 47% of drivers felt they should never have to retake their driving test.
As it stands, only an excess of penalty points and driving bans can entail having to retake it. 20% of the respondents, however, felt that it should be retaken every 20 years. Parents are also forking out large sums of money on cars for their children. The average sits anywhere between £3,492 and £5,274. Approximately 23% of British parents buy their child’s first car, collectively costing £324 million each and every year.
The Young Are Accident-Prone
Unfortunately, Veygo’s research didn’t explore the reasons for why people wanted the driving age raised. That said, it’s not particularly challenging to imagine why. Young drivers are statistically more likely to cause, or be caught up in, an accident. Teenage drivers are a third more likely to die in a crash than someone in their forties. One in four drivers aged between 18 – 24 crash within two years of passing their test. There’s also a gender discrepancy, with young male drivers being much more likely to crash than young female drivers.
There are a number of reasons younger drivers are at greater risk. Some of this simply comes down to inexperience, as you might expect. Which is why, in place of a drive age increase, some people are calling for curfews and passenger restrictions instead. There’s also a greater risk of over-confidence and prevalent risk-taking. Risk usually takes the form of speeding, not wearing a seat belt or driving whilst intoxicated. Whether raising the driving age by a year would make much of a difference or not isn’t clear. But the road charity Brake favours the likes of graduated driving licenses, offering alternatives to driving and better monitoring technology.
Car Insurance: These Are The Most Expensive Cities In The UK – https://autoserveclub.co.uk/blog/car-insurance-these-are-the-most-expensive-cities-in-the-uk/
Second National Lockdown: Car Use Has Declined By 30% – https://autoserve.co.uk/motoring-news/second-national-lockdown-car-use-has-declined-by-30/
