ALMOST half of all road accidents in Scotland involve young drivers in the first three years of passing their test.
Research also shows that 60 per cent of new drivers admitted to breaking the law with one in 10 speeding above 100mph, 12 per cent regularly drove without a seatbelt,nine per cent have skipped red lights and eight per cent said they had tailgated other drivers.
One in five of those aged between 17 and 24 who have had a crash said it could have been avoided with more driving experience and six per cent claimed it could have been prevented if they had known more about the safety features of their cars such as anti-lock braking systems.
The figures were obtained for a new road safety campaign targeting young drivers backed by Scottish charity Brake and Scots singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt, who is new to the road herself after having recently passed her test.
A number of other high-profile motoring industry firms including Kwik Fit, RED Driving School and Goodyear have also thrown their weight behind the New to the Road campaign which aims to get the safety message across to young people, both before and after passing their test, through a series of events in schools and colleges across Scotland, including Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Motherwell.
Kwik Fit centres will also be giving young drivers practical advice about keeping their vehicles safe on the roads.
Young drivers remain disproportionately likely to be involved in a road accident compared to other road users – in Scotland each week, one young person is killed in a road accident and 17 are seriously injured.
Joe Burns, a spokesman for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “Research shows that the combination of youth and inexperience puts younger drivers at high risk.
“Their inexperience means they have less ability to spot hazards, and their youth means they are particularly likely to take risks.
“Any steps we can take to improve the awareness and knowledge of young drivers will be to everyone’s benefit.”
The New to The Road campaign was launched this week to mark the month Scottish year five students start to turn 17.
The campaign team is holding a series of safety events at schools and colleges giving practical advice to students and alerting them to a new online resource – newtotheroad.co.uk – where information and support is available.
Nesbitt, 20, from Edinburgh, who is best known for her pop single Stay Out, said it was important young people stayed safe on Scotland’s roads.
She added: “We shouldn’t think that once we’ve got our full licence that’s it – we need to keep focused to stay safe on the roads.
“I know there’s still so much to learn even though I’ve passed my test, which is why the support and information new drivers can get through the New to the Road campaign is so important.”
Kwik Fit boss Roger Griggs insisted the number of crashes among new road users was “worryingly high”.
He said: “The incidence of collisions amongst new road users in Scotland is worryingly high and the fact that drivers themselves admit many of these crashes could have been avoided means there’s plenty of scope to improve this situation.
“We are supporting the New to the Road campaign as it will specifically target motorists in their first few years of driving, to equip them with additional skills and knowledge that will help ensure they are as safe on the road as they can be.”
New driver’s terror as car spins on oil
TEENAGE driver Beth Poulton is lucky to be alive after her car hit an oil patch, spun out of control and smashed into a wall.
The 19-year-old university student, who passed her test two months before her Renault Clio was written off in an early-morning crash in Larkhall, Lanarkshire last year, suffered head and eye injuries.
Beth, from Stonehouse, said it took her several weeks to pluck up the courage to get back behind the wheel.
She recalled: “It was really scary. It all happened so quickly. I hit some oil on the road, the car spun round and hit a wall.
“I was taken to hospital and had to have seven stitches under my right eye and two stitches on my head. The car was a total write-off and I am so lucky.”
Beth welcomed a road safety campaign for young drivers. She said: “I think it’s a really good idea to give young people as much information as possible about the laws and the dangers of the road.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here