Written evidence submitted by the AA Charitable Trust (RSY0062)

Who we are

The AA Charitable Trust[1] works for the preservation and protection of human life and health by the prevention of personal injury to, and death of, individuals on roads and in motor vehicles in the United Kingdom.

We do this by:

•                               Educating road users in road safety
•                               Campaigning on issues of road safety
•                               Promoting eco-driving to help the environment

Since the charity was founded in 2008 it has developed and delivered innovative road safety campaigns across a range of issues including; young drivers, driver distraction, drowsy driving, cycle safety, driver confidence and eco-driving.

Executive Summary

We are delighted the Committee has decided to investigate ways to improve the safety record for novice and young drivers.

Our submission looks at two main areas:

1. Why are young and novice drivers disproportionately represented in crashes on UK roads? A top-line look at road casualty statistics.
2. What interventions would help improve road casualties? Our response focusses on the merits and disadvantages of: Telematic Insurance, Road Safety Education and Graduated Driving Licence Schemes.

1.                            Why are young and novice drivers over-represented in crashes on UK roads?

In 2012, The AA Charitable Trust launched ‘Young Drivers at Risk’; a report that looked at the circumstances surrounding drivers’ first crashes.

Key findings of the report centred on a survey of motorists on the AA/Populus[2] panel who had been involved in car crashes. This showed that nearly 40 per cent of them had crashed by the time they were 23 years old. The results also showed a quarter (26%) had crashed within two years of gaining their licence.

Analysis of these drivers’ first crashes shows:

• 23 per cent of 18 – 24-year-olds had crashed within 6 months of passing their test
• One third of 18-24-year-olds have been involved in an accident when driving
• 28 per cent had crashed by the time they were 21 years of age
• First crashes are most likely to happen in the day time – only 13% happen at night
• Most people have their first accident without passengers in the car (63 per cent)
• Bad weather was a factor in 15 per cent of first accidents
• 47 per cent had their first crash on a single carriageway or in a rural area
• 5 per cent of drivers had their first crash on a motorbike.

2. What interventions would improve safety for young and novice drivers?

The AA Charitable Trust believes the most effective way to improve road casualty statistics would be through a combination of improved pre-test education; changes to the process of learning to drive and Government support to enable more new drivers to use telematic insurance policies.

Telematics:

The cars we drive and the roads we drive on play a vital role in reducing road casualties. Not only can technology improve a car’s ability to mitigate the likelihood or severity of a crash but some, like telematics and driver alert systems, can positively influence driver behaviour.

Telematics insurance has great potential to improve the safety of all drivers and newly-qualified drivers in particular. Recent research has shown that since 2011, reported road casualty rates among 17-19-year-old drivers have fallen by 31%; proportionately far greater than for the driving population as a whole. This reduction has been attributed in part to the increased likelihood of young drivers having a telematics insurance policy[3].

‘Black box’ insurance with regular reports that monitor speeding and harsh breaking can transform the way that some previous ‘boy racers’ drive. Insurance companies believe that the technology is already having a significant effect in reducing new driver collisions.

In light of this, we would support:

• Government action to help make telematics insurance affordable for more new drivers. A zero rate of Insurance Premium Tax on telematics insurance would make this safer form of insurance more affordable for new drivers.

Road Safety Education:

The way we introduce road use to children, teach people to drive and how we support drivers throughout their life needs to be done with road safety front of mind.

In particular, we would support policies that:

• Place road safety education on the national curriculum
• Ensure all young people have access to good quality cycle training

Encourage all drivers to take refresher courses to keep their skills up-to-scratch

AA/Populus research[4] shows that:

• 78% agree road safety should be on the national curriculum

Graduated Driving Licences:

The AA Charitable Trust welcomed the news earlier this year that Government was committed to thoroughly researching what graduated driving licence scheme, if any, could be brought in effectively in the UK.

Whenever Graduated Licensing has been proposed in the past we have argued that careful research is required to ensure that measures introduced for safety don’t have unintended social and other consequences.

We know from our own pupils and instructors, that for many people, excessive post-test restrictions could undermine the utility of them having a driving licence in the first place – such as driving to work on early or late shifts when public transport is not convenient or simply not available.

Any post-test restrictions must be properly researched and piloted to ensure that they do not place an un-necessary burden on new drivers.

AA/Populus research[5] shows that:

• 62% agree there should be a mandatory logbook for learners, which includes lessons at night time and on motorways
• 70% say there should be a minimum learning period

The same AA/Populus research asked drivers what impact it would have had if they had faced post-test restrictions on carrying passengers or driving at certain times of day,. 18-to-24-year-olds responded:

• Three quarters (75%) said it would have made it difficult for them to get to work
• 59% said it would have made getting to school/college difficult
• 67% said they wouldn’t have been able to give their siblings a lift
• 59% said it would have prevented them from being the ‘designated driver’ for friends

Government has said that it will be looking at several Graduated Driver Licence Schemes in other countries as part of its research into their effectiveness.

All of the countries being considered (America, Canada and Australia) have a lower age limit than the UK for learning to drive. This means that the post-test restrictions in these countries are less likely to affect employment prospects as drivers will be younger when they pass their test.

The pros and cons of implementing post-test restrictions should therefore be considered alongside the possible lowering of the age limit for learning to drive to 16 years.

Considering these points, and the obvious need to make changes to the current system to improve safety, The AA Charitable Trust would support:

• A minimum learning period for learner drivers supported by a logbook that shows they have experienced driving in certain specific situations pre-test (including: rural roads, dual carriageways/motorways, night driving, driving with passengers, driving in different weather conditions)
• Improve the safety of newly qualified drivers without impinging on their freedom through greater pre-test education
• Research into the possibility of lowering the age limit for learning to drive to 16 if post-test restrictions are to be introduced.

Any changes designed to improve the safety of young and novice drivers will, by default, benefit the safety of all road users. It is vital that any changes are robustly supported by wider policies and resources, specifically:

• Enforcement of road laws needs to be supported by an increase in traffic police to target road users who break the law.
• Government, too, needs to take a strong position to make reducing road deaths a priority and set challenging targets to reduce annual road deaths to zero within 10 years.

September 2019