RoSPA Press Office : Press Release
August 14, 2002
VIEWS SOUGHT ON “SAFETY CONTRACTS” FOR YOUNG DRIVERS
RoSPA is seeking the views of novice drivers and their parents in an effort to cut the number of crashes involving young motorists.
One in three newly-qualified drivers have an accident within the first year of passing their test and around 1,300 teenage drivers are killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads each year.
RoSPA wants to know if “safety contracts” between parents and their children could help to reduce this toll.
Young drivers are the group most at risk – especially in high-speed crashes, accidents in the dark, at weekends and when overtaking. Often driving on nights out, they are exposed to alcohol, drugs, distractions from their passengers, loud music and encouragement to speed by their friends.
Many new motorists drive the family car or their parents help pay the running costs of a vehicle for them. In the USA, a popular approach has been for parents and their children to reach an agreement that places limitations on driving. The aim is to help newly-qualified drivers avoid high-risk situations.
RoSPA wants to hear from families who may have experimented with a similar safety-contract scheme in the UK, but also wants the views of any young driver or parent on the idea.
They are being asked to fill in a questionnaire on the road safety section of the Society’s website www.rospa.com. It asks if young drivers use a family car or their own car, and about restrictions they might agree with or are already trying.
Kevin Clinton, RoSPA Head of Road Safety, said: “RoSPA is producing a guide for parents and young drivers about the risks they face on the road. Before recommending agreements, we want to know what people think about them, and about which restrictions have been tried and which have proved most relevant.
“They could be things such as limiting the number of passengers, confirming destinations in advance, not drinking and driving, not using mobile phones and not allowing anyone else to drive.
“We would like parents and people aged 21 or under to help us tackle this problem by filling in the questionnaire on our website so that we can come up with workable suggestions to reduce accidents.”
