Road Safety for young adults is particularly important, due to lack of experience on the road. The Road Safety Authority in Ireland advocate for road safety for all road users. To learn more visit https://www.rsa.ie/road-safety
Key risk factors for young drivers- Carrying passengers- Research shows that peer pressure can encourage bad driving and result in drivers ‘showing off’ to their passengers and taking more risks. Newly qualified drivers with a car full of passengers of similar age are four times more likely to be in a fatal crash, compared with when driving alone. However, when carrying older adult passengers, young drivers are less likely to crash, indicating it is peer pressure rather than simply the presence of passengers that raises the risk.
Driving at night- Young drivers have a higher proportion of crashes in the evenings and early mornings. Driving at night also requires extreme care. Young drivers may be under the impression that because roads are quieter at night it is safer for them to speed or pay less attention. In fact, driving at night takes more care due to poorer visibility, and greater likelihood of drink drivers or drunk pedestrians on the roads.
Speeding- Young people often drive too fast because they underestimate the risks associated with speeding, and crashes occur because they do not have to react to a dangerous situation and control their vehicle to avoid a collision.
Drink and drug driving- Drivers in their 20s self-report as having the highest rate of driving when over the drink-drive limit of all age groups.
The consequences of drink and drug driving are extremely serious. People involved in a road traffic incident are more than just a number for the Road Safety Report, they are someone’s family, friend, colleague, or neighbour.
It takes at least one hour to process one standard drink. Visit Drink Aware for more information on what is a standard drink.
Mobile Phones
Despite this, evidence suggests young drivers are more likely than older drivers to use their mobile phones at the wheel: the RAC has found that around half of young people (aged 17-24) admit to using their mobile phone behind the wheel, the highest proportion of all age categories.