Young Male Drivers Overconfident

The youngest male drivers are far more likely to think themselves more skillful on average than women, it has been claimed. Nearly two-thirds of this demographic believe themselves to be better than the majority, overconfidence that could lead to more crashes and a subsequent rise in car insurance premiums for these drivers.

The facts:

Young male drivers aged between 17 and 29 are actually the highest risk group on Britain’s roads and are twice as likely to be killed in a car accident than their female counterparts. Despite this, the figures -which were published by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) -show that only 32 per cent of young female drivers believe themselves to be more skilful than average.

According to IAM’s figures, 30 per cent of all occupant fatalities occur when the driver is within this age group despite the fact that only eight per cent of drivers actually fall within it.

 Why is this age group most heavily affected?

Simon Best, chief executive at the IAM, has highlighted a range of factors that are behind the figures. Talking to the organisation’s annual lunch, he emphasised the importance of understanding these to being able to craft solutions that bring down the number of incidents affecting this age group.

He warned that young male drivers “suffer from a lethal combination “ of inexperience and overconfidence that their female peers lack.  “They don’t need curfews and other restrictions on their driving -they need to practice and gain driving experience safely, “ Mr Best explained.

The chief executive warned that the high number of accidents are leading to a rise in the drivers’ car insurance premiums, as well as to a high cost in human lives.

What can be done?

The IAM has made a number of proposals that it believes will help to boost safety within these demographics. It has highlighted the importance of getting young drivers to spend more time on the road during the early stages of learning. It warned that there is a window of opportunity immediately after drivers have passed their test where they are willing to take on additional lessons but that where this is put off the likelihood of these courses being taken falls drastically.

Another factor that affected people’s willingness to take on additional training was the number of attempts that people had to take on their driving tests to pass. The more failed efforts a driver had made to pass the less likely they were to seek extra courses to boost their skills.

What are the consequences of dangerous driving?

 While the majority of motorists of all ages realise that dangerous driving is against the law, few realise how broad this category of behaviour actually is. Anything from speeding, to going through traffic lights or using a vehicle that is in an unsafe condition can qualify, putting the driver at risk of serious legal repercussions.

Those who are successfully convicted for the traffic offence can be punished by anything from a £500 fine to up to two years in jail, an unlimited fine, a points penalty of between three and 11 points or even disqualification. A driver who has been found guilty of dangerous driving may also face a higher car insurance premium.

Each of these penalties is aside from the risk to life and limb that this behaviour at the wheel can cause. Recent figures published by the Department for Transport have shown that 23 people in Britain are killed or seriously injured each week due to unsafe vehicles, despite 42 per cent of drivers admitting that they have taken to the roads in the last 12 months with at least one dangerous defect in their car.

Motability Car Schemes

The aim of motability cars is make new cars available for people with disabilities. These schemes are available for anyone who receives the higher mobility component of the disability living allowance or the mobility supplement for war pensioners. The car is leased and the cost of the leasing agreement is paid for by using either the full allowance or by a proportion of it.

There is a large range of motability cars on the market and they include most of the popular models. They are also available for a large range of needs. Motability car prices are such that many models can be leased at costs that are less than the full allowance; that cost the actual amount of the full allowance; and that exceed the amount of the allowance. Cars that cost more than the allowance to lease are financed in part by paying an initial deposit. This means that even luxury cars can be obtained through the scheme.

Motability car schemes also include the full cost of insurance, and of servicing and maintaining your car. Breakdown insurance is covered as is the cost of road tax, tyre replacement, and windscreen cover. Typically the lease covers a mileage allowance of 60,000 miles over three years.

Many people obtaining motability cars need special adaptation to allow them to drive and to drive safely; or possibly even a hoist for lifting and carrying a wheelchair. These adaptations are provided at no extra cost to the car user. Furthermore, it is not even necessary for the disabled person to be the nominated driver; two other drivers can be nominated/these could be friends or family, and they are allowed to use the car when the person in the scheme does not require it.

There are some restrictions on the nominated drivers. From the beginning of 2012 a new rule has been implemented which says that nominated drivers must share the same address as the disabled person or should live within a five mile radius. There are some exceptions to this rule, though these are dealt with on a case by case basis.

If you are looking for a motability car, then you might be assured that there is no credit check carried out before giving you one. You simply need to be in receipt of one of the allowances mentioned above.