Penalty points highlight need for young driver reform: IAM

12.00 | 17 December 2013 | | 3 comments

More than three times as many young male drivers have up to six penalty points on their licence, compared with their female counterparts, according to the IAM.

The IAM says this proves that the “way new drivers are trained is failing to produce safe and law abiding motorists, particularly men”.

The IAM quotes DVLA data which shows that 30,850 male drivers aged 20 or under have up to six points on their license, compared with 9, 758 young female drivers of the same age.

Simon Best, IAM chief executive, said: “Such high numbers committing a wide range of offences demonstrates the inability of our current system to deal with the attitudes and lack of experience which put new drivers at such high risk on the roads today.

“The Government is currently working on a Green Paper for young drivers and this must better address the content and process of learning to drive so that our roads are safer for all road users.”

 

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    Another example of the IAM’s ability to pick a number – any number – and draw conclusions from it without reference to any of the many other confounding factors.


    Idris Francis Fight Back with Facts Petersfield
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    If Mr Best thinks that the training industry is failing to produce safe and law abiding motorists, does he have any suggestions as to how the current system might be changed for the better?

    His faith in the Government’s Green Paper on improving the safety and reducing risks to young drivers is quite touching, but a general tightening of the rules and restrictions does not address the fundamental problems with new driver training.


    Duncan MacKillop, Stratford on Avon
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    The difference between males and females is interesting but hardly surprising. But bald numbers are unhelpful; what proportion of the driving population at the different ages do they represent? And what are the trends year on year – are these numbers getting better or worse, or staying about the same?


    Eric Bridgstock, Independent Road Safety Research, St Albans
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