Almost a quarter of young drivers have a crash within six months of passing their test, a report released today by the AA reveals.
On top of this, 28% of drivers have a crash before turning twenty-one, and over a third will have been in an accident whilst driving before their twenty-fourth birthday.
"Preventable tragedies"
The report was compiled by the AA Charitable Trust and the Make Roads Safe campaign and will be officially launched at this weekend's Silverstone Classic by Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell.
Mansell, a member of the Commission for Global Road Safety, said: "While road deaths among the young remain a serious problem here in the UK, in many parts of the world they have become nothing less than a crisis out of control.
"This is a vitally important issue which doesn't get enough attention. Too many of our young people are still being killed or injured on the roads. These are preventable tragedies."
Road safety education
The report highlights the need for teenagers to begin learning to drive before the age of 17 in a safe off-road environment.
Edmund King, director of the AA Charitable Trust, said: "Road safety education must be a life skill that starts at the age of three but is continually refreshed throughout life. It needs to begin many years before someone is old enough to apply for their provisional licence."
