New Research Shows 20 to 30-Year-Olds Are Most Prone To Disqualification
Young males are the group most commonly associated with causing the highest number of accidents on the UK's roads, with a new report showing those aged between 20 and 30 are the most likely to be banned from driving.Figures from the DVLA - which have been published following a Freedom of Information request by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) - show that of the 92,136 motorists disqualified from driving between July 2013 and June 2014, 31,668 were young men in this age range.
This is in significant contrast to the number of females of the same age who were banned from getting behind the wheel during the same period, with this figure coming in at 4,333.
Altogether, 36,001 people aged 20 to 30 received a ban from the roads throughout the year.
Overall, motorists aged 25 were most likely to receive a disqualification - 3,294 males of this age were banned during the year, compared to just 454 females.
Chief executive of the IAM Simon Best commented: "These statistics strongly reflect the research we have already carried out in this area - that young males are very much the at-risk group when it comes to driving safety.
"We believe targeting the attitudes of these drivers specifically, through advanced training for example, should be a major part of future road safety campaigning."
Arguably more worrying and raising further concerns surrounding the occurrence of serious injuries on the roads is the revelation that 230 individuals aged under 17 - and therefore not legally allowed to drive - were disqualified from the roads. Of these, four were aged 13, while another four were only 12 years old.
Mr Best added: "Children are putting their own lives and those of others at huge risk by taking the wheel of a car on public roads."
While the main finding of the report is centred around young drivers, 10,065 over-50s and 3,874 over-60s were also banned from driving during the 12-month period.
Expert Opinion
The driving standards of young and inexperienced motorists have been highlighted a number of times over the past few years and these figures are the latest indication that young males are the most at risk group when it comes to road safety. <br/> <br/>“It is vital that measures, such as further driver training and increasing awareness of hazards, are implemented to improve the understanding of road safety among young drivers. This will then help to reduce the likelihood of individuals in this group from committing offences resulting in the loss of their driving licence, or from causing harm to other road users involved in a collision. <br/> <br/>“All too often we see the life-changing injuries that can result from a collision on the road and it is vital that all road users are aware of the damage that can be caused when behind the wheel of a vehicle.” Stephen Nye - Partner