Road safety charity Brake has accused the government of failing to take decisive action to tackle lethal risk-taking among young people on the roads.
More than two in five road deaths involve a young driver, according to a governmentstudy. Statistics show that in 2005 1,297 people died and a further 11,535 were seriously injured in crashes involving drivers or riders aged 15 to 25. that equates to 35 deaths and serious injuries every day.
The figures were supplied by the Department for Transport and Police Service of Northern Ireland).
Brake is calling for the introduction of graduated driver licensing to break the learning-to-drive process into several stages, so novice drivers develop their skills and experience gradually over time.
Brake is also demanding that the government introduces road safety education as a compulsory part of the national curriculum.
To fill this gap in the education of young people, Brake, in partnership with CIS, is to introduce a new education pack for schools and colleges.
Launching across the UK today and available free to all educators, the Too Young to Die resource pack includes a DVD and accompanying hand-out booklets, both funded by CIS, plus a Department for Transport-backed PowerPoint presentation.
Jools Townsend, head of education at Brake, said: “We hope Brake and CIS's Too Young to Die education packs will make a big difference, by teaching young people about the tragic consequences of dangerous driving and the principles of staying safe as both a driver and a passenger.
"But with 35 people killed or seriously injured in crashes involving a young driver every day, it's time the government took the desperately-needed step of making road safety education compulsory in schools.”
