Young motorists account for 38% of dangerous driving endorsements – study

Young drivers are responsible for more than a third of dangerous driving endorsements, new research has found.

Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, which conducted the analysis of DVLA data, called for restrictions to be imposed on new drivers through graduated driving licensing (GDL).

It found that between January 1 and June 1 some 1,128 new dangerous driving endorsements known as DD40s were issued to licence holders in Britain aged 17-25.

Despite this age group making up just 7% of all full licence holders, they accounted for 38% of the total number of DD40s issued to motorists of all ages.

The proportion has risen from 27% across the whole of 2021 and 36% last year.

DD40s are issued when the way a person drives falls far below what would be expected of a competent and careful motorist, or when it would be obvious to a competent and careful driver that using a vehicle in its current state would be dangerous.

Typically, this includes behaviour such as speeding, racing or driving aggressively, ignoring traffic lights, overtaking dangerously or knowing a vehicle has a dangerous fault or unsafe load.

About a fifth of drivers crash within a year of passing their driving test, and nearly 5,000 people were killed or seriously injured in a crash involving a young driver in Britain in 2022.

IAM RoadSmart director of policy and standards Nicholas Lyes said: “Something is going awry with driving standards among younger drivers when they now account for well over a third of all new dangerous driving endorsements, while at the same time making up a small proportion of overall licence holders.

“A form of graduated driver licensing should now be considered as part of an updated road safety strategy.

“We strongly believe that training, upskilling and wider experience will foster better responsibility and decision making which will make our roads safer.”

Mr Lyes added that drivers affected by GDL should benefit from reduced insurance premiums.

GDL would place restrictions on drivers for a set period after they pass their test, such as preventing them from carrying passengers of a similar age.

Similar schemes are used in several countries, including the US, Canada, Australia and Sweden.

The Department for Transport (DfT) announced in July 2019 it was considering introducing GDL in England, but the assessment was halted in autumn 2020, partly because of the potential impact on young people’s employment.

A recent survey commissioned by IAM RoadSmart suggested 31% of young drivers have taken photographs or recorded video footage while they are behind the wheel, with 57% of that group saying they subsequently uploaded the content to social media.

A DfT spokesperson said: “The safety of our roads is an absolute priority for this Government.

“We are committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy – the first in over a decade.

“We will set out next steps on this in due course.”