European young drivers are the most behind road accidents

Published on December 16, 2016

According to the research done by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration among the Members of the European Union , other western European countries including Norway and Switzerland and other countries like Canada , Australia , New Zealand, alcohol is the villain in most of the drastic road accidents.

Among the European countries, Finland tops in alcohol based road accidents. 

European Commission says only 15% of accidents in Europe are caused by older aged drivers. The rest 85% is caused by the young drivers. The young novice drivers cause accidents in various ways. They speed up and loss control and causes fatality to others and for themselves.

A detailed research report by SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research states that 'single accident' is a typical young driver accident that decreases with age and experience. According to the report, young driver accidents are more frequent in weekends.

Croatian Bulletin of Road Traffic Safety, points the major causes for these road accidents. Retrieving old messages, the prominent reason for young driver’s accident being caused by over speeding. The over speeding might be under the influence of Alcohol or drugs or out of novice excitement.

Considering these research reports we can come to a conclusion that 85% of road accidents in Europe are caused by young drivers and over speeding caused by alcohol/ drug consumption is the most common reason for a major percentage of these accidents and these accidents are more severe in weekends.

Actually, most young drivers are safe. Only a significant minority (about 35%) could be considered unsafe drivers, but the problem isn't always one of experience. Deliberate bad driving aimed at 'impressing' friends or gaining a thrill through risk taking is also a problem.

Young drivers are particularly at risk in the early hours of the morning – per mile driven, a young male driver is five times more likely to have an accident than his father. The accident risk for young male drivers in the early evening is much lower, suggesting that the problem is how they drive at night rather than inexperience at driving in the dark.

Young people, men particularly, like to show off when driving which means that they are generally less safe when they have friends/passengers in the car. Both sexes show off more to young male passengers than to young women and some find it 'cool' not to wear a seat belt even though this cuts the chance of being killed in a crash by a half.

Drink, drugs, and high spirits all add up to make young drivers take risks. Any is dangerous alone whilst the combination is the main explanation for the high risk of accidents late at night.

'Egging-on' adds to the problem. Passengers who've also been drinking and having fun can pressure drivers into taking risks they wouldn't normally take. The risk to passengers is every bit as large, and drivers have to fight hard not to conform.

Sleepiness at the wheel is one of the recently uncovered reasons behind a large proportion of fatal car crashes around Europe. Although it is often difficult to determine precisely how much responsibility can be attributed to sleepiness in certain traffic accident situations, it is estimated to underlie about 20% of car crashes in Europe. In this regard, national statistics have been put forward by a few European countries. In France, a preliminary report published in 2011 stated that from a total of 3970 fatal accidents that took place on French roads, 732 cases occurred on straight roads, 85% of which were related to sleepy driving. in the United kingdom, the national database indicates a low incidence of drowsy driving (around 4%) but this estimate is most certainly largely underestimated, probably due to the mode of reporting. in Germany, drowsiness is reportedly implicated in 25% of all fatal road accidents. in Italy, although recent data are missing, sleepiness is estimated to be involved in about 22% of road accidents. in Scandinavian countries, a recent Swedish pilot study found that drivers admitted experiencing sleepiness in 15% of road crashes. in Finland, an analysis of the national database on road accidents from 1991 to 2001 found that 15.3% of accidents were related to fatigue/sleepiness.

While the loss of human lives and disability are the most afflicting consequences, sleepiness-related collisions also have a major economic impact. it is thus indispensable to better understand how and when sleep related traffic c accidents occur, and to anticipate new strategies to prevent them as effectively as possible.

Risky behavior has been identified as a key factor behind the statistics, which also show that from 2004 to 2013, 62,000 young people were killed in road accidents in the European Union. According to the report by European Road Safety Observatory, poor reading of the road, impairment from substances or stress and distraction are among the most common factors in accidents involving young drivers.

Ford commissioned a survey of 6,500 young Europeans to better understand the risks taken by young drivers. *** This shows that 57 per cent have exceeded speed limits, 43 per cent have sent a text while driving, 36 per cent have taken calls and sent instant messages, 16 per cent have driven without wearing their seatbelts, 13 per cent have driven after drinking, and up to 11 per cent have watched videos or TV shows on their devices.

Ford offers free training for young drivers with Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL). In Europe, by the end of 2016, the programme will have trained more than 20,000 drivers across 13 countries.

Up to 57 per cent of young drivers also admit they drive more safely with parents or grandparents in the car, and 41 per cent said they would take more risks with friends in the car. For this reason Ford has created a new spoof video to showcase the virtues of “Blown Ups.” This fictional product is an inflatable grownup, triggered to expand when young drivers are reckless behind the wheel; and serves as a reminder of the expanding DSFL programme.