Insurers call for limitations on passangers!

Originally Posted by PistonHeads

Insurers say drivers under 20 should only be allowed one teenage passenger

Teenagers travelling with friends are three times more likely to have a fatal accident than those travelling alone, insurers have claimed. The Association of British Insurers has published a report today charting the findings and is urging the Government to introduce restrictions on young drivers for six months after they qualify.

The study claims that the greatest danger of distraction is caused 30 weeks after teenagers pass their test. After this period the risk of them causing death or serious injury on the road halves.

The association believes that 270 deaths or serious injuries would be prevented every year if there was a law preventing drivers under 20 from carrying more than one teenager in their car. This would be in place for the first six months after they pass their test.

The report reads: 'Young passengers can both distract young drivers and encourage them to drive in a more risky way. Restricting drivers under 20 to carrying just one teenage passenger for the first six months of driving will allow them to gain experience of carrying passengers before having to deal with the distraction of three or four of their teenage peers in the car.'

The report suggests that the collision rate for young drivers increases with each additional passenger. Compared to driving alone, the risk of a fatal collision for young drivers is 39% higher with just one passenger, 85% higher with two and 182% higher with three or more. The association said a limit on the number of passengers a teenager could carry would reduce their insurance costs.

I agree completely with that. From Personal Experience, as soon as you learnt to drive, everyone wanted to pile into the back of your car..random drives etc etc.

As well as cutting crashes, it would also rid the road of Corsas packed with like 5-6 chavs...which can only be a good thing.

Australia and New Zealand have a lot of accident preventions schemes for younger drivers, and they work well. This is what the country needs, and if anyone disagrees, then go and get your head checked out please...

This won't go down well but I think the age to legally drive should be raised to 21.

I don't think you'd be able to police this silly idea that the insurers are proposing. And what if the one teenage passenger you carry is a loud-mouth ADHD-Tourettes candidate? (make them get the bus I guess).

Oh, doesnt bother me, Im 21 in December anyway...and Ive been driving 3 years...so if they were to raise the limit, it wouldnt be a bad thing.

It would give Britains roads a break as well, having a 3 year gap where no signifiant number of people were joining the already packed network.

Its a good idea, but one that will probably never be put into place.

lol under 20 or over, ppl are still arseholes with passengers in their cars - i'm 25 in december, and admittedly i can be a Grrr behiond the wheel at times (only where i know i can be and get away with it) - certainly not on busy roads durin the day or country roads (where u never really know wot u can get away with anyway) - here about so many deaths up here of ppl driving wrecklessly on the country roads

I dont think this proposed idea or the raising of the age, or the idea of a curfue would be fair on the legit younger drivers that need to drive;

for example a 18year old can legally work night shifts so how would they work till say 3am if they cant drive after 9pm or untill they are 21.

Also when I was 18 and just passed my test, I was a sensible lad (I dont know whats happened since tho) and me and my Wife (Then Girlfreind) would often take her 14year old brother on day trips with us, i.e Blackpool, Alton Towers, or even to stay in my parents caravan in Anglesey, so were do you draw the line at teenage passangers, as he was a teenager and I was less likely to drive recklessly when he was in the car.

I actually didnt get into modified cars and cruising till I was 21, and thats when I started to get a bit reckless with my driving, untill the kids came along 3 years ago and now I drive like a sensible family man.