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Young driver crashes kill or injure 23,000 people in just five years

More than 23,000 people have been killed or seriously injured in crashes involving a driver aged 17 to 24 in the past five years, police warned. Around a fifth of all road accidents ending in death or serious injury involve young drivers in this age bracket.
Rural roads are more dangerous than urban, with 87 crashes per 100,000 people in country areas compared to 43 in cities. The National Police Chiefs Council noted that Weekends and evenings present elevated risk periods for young driver accidents.
Transport figures from 2021 to 2025 show 7,500 crashes involved young drivers as the primary operator, 4,000 involved passengers driven by young drivers, and 11,600 affected other road users. Nearly a third of young drivers in fatal or serious collisions were in single-vehicle accidents versus 23% of all drivers.
Police launched Operation Spotlight to encourage parental supervision after test passage. Behavioural scientist Dr Elizabeth Box of IAM RoadSmart emphasized that passing a test marks only the beginning: "Passing the driving test is an important milestone, but it isnt the point at which learning ends."
Northern Ireland introduces Graduated driving licences next month, including a six-month wait for practical tests and night-time passenger restrictions. However, Great Britain has no such plans, despite evidence that similar schemes reduce crashes by between five and 40% depending on implementation.

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