Young driver accidents decreases 35%
New analysis of the latest UK road casualty statistics by LexisNexis Risk Solutions has revealed that the number of 17-19-year-old drivers who have been killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents has fallen by 35%, since 2011.
This marked reduction provides compelling evidence of the important role telematics insurance has played in cutting road casualties amongst the youngest most vulnerable drivers, helping to reduce casualties by over a third since 2011. The one major difference between young drivers and their older counterparts is telematics insurance, with 4 in 5 young drivers estimated to have a telematics policy.
However, the significant reduction in young driver road casualties masks an increase in the rate of road casualties amongst the wider driving population (drivers aged 25-59) with road casualties up by four per cent in 2017 vs 2016.
The analysis by LexisNexis Risk Solutions is the first time road casualty statistics have been studied in direct relation to the exponential growth in telematics policies (since 2011) with 975,000 live policies in 2017, suggesting telematics insurance has done more to cut accident risk than any other road safety initiative aimed at the young driver market.
Graham Gordon, director, global telematics, LexisNexis Risk Solutions said, ‘Our analysis and interpretation of the publicly available road casualty statistics factors for key road safety advances such as improved roads, better junction design and new car safety technology – but the patent downward trend in the 17-19 age bracket points to an additional factor at play, the increasing availability and adoption of telematics insurance.’
