Wasted Lives: 20 reasons to back the campaign

11:55am Wednesday 4th April 2007

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By Sally Henfield »

Almost every two weeks, one young driver is killed on Lancashire's roads. Here are 20 reasons to back our campaign to stop the carnage.

* Every day across the UK four people are seriously injured or killed in accidents involving young drivers.

* Nationally, 1 in 8 licence holders are under 25 yet 1 in 4 road deaths involve this age group.

* In 2006, 254 people aged between 17 - 25 were seriously injured in road accidents in Lancashire.

* Matthew Hannon was one of 22 people aged under 25 who died in road accidents in Lancashire in 2006.

* In 2005 18 people aged under 25 died in road accidents in Lancashire.

* Since 2002 the number of road deaths involving under 25s in Lancashire has risen by 22 per cent.

* Lancashire's 2006 fatality rate was ten times higher for males aged under 25 than it was for females in the same age group.

* One in three males between 17 and 20 crash within two years of passing their test.

* An 18-year-old male is three times more likely to be involved in a crash than a 48-year-old driver.

* It takes a new driver two seconds longer to react to a dangerous situation than an experienced driver.

* 50 per cent of accidents involving young drivers happen at night.

* Over 40 per cent of young male drivers' accidents that occur between 11pm and 6am are fatal or involve serious injury, compared to 20 per cent at other times.

* Young people aged between 17 - 19 are more likely to be in a crash where only their vehicle is involved.

* The probability of a young driver having an accident is 39 per cent higher if they have a passenger in the car with them.

* This rises to 85 per cent when there are two or more young friends in the car and 182 per cent if there are three or more people with them.

* Compared to more mature drivers, 17 - 18-year-old males have around 70 per cent more of their accidents while involved in competition with another road user.

* Young drivers have twice as many accidents while negotiating a bend, compared to older drivers.

* For every one per cent increase in speed the risk of an accident increases by eight per cent. On average young people drive 11 per cent faster than older drivers.

* Around 40 per cent of young drivers' accidents occur on wet roads.

* 35 per cent of drink drivers involved in accidents in 2005 were aged between 17 and 25.

Statistics from Department of Transport, Brake road safety charity and Lancashire Police.