It is a fact that road deaths primarily affect 18-24 year olds. But why do young drivers have more accidents?
For over 13 years, the number of 18-24 year olds killed in road accidents has been among the highest. From 2010 to 2023, six years out of thirteen, this age group is the deadliest on the road. And when it is not first, it is second. But above all, it is the age group with the highest rate of road deaths. In France, there are 91 deaths per million inhabitants for 18-24 year olds, far ahead of the 77 deaths per million inhabitants for those aged 75 and over. But why would young drivers have more accidents than others?
Driving school cars over-equipped compared to the first car
A first element of response seems obvious: inexperience. Indeed, 18-24 year olds have often just obtained their license. And even if they have obtained the precious sesame, young drivers do not have the same ease of driving as a seasoned motorist.
But another point can also explain a higher number of accidents for young people. Very often, the driving school cars on which they obtained their driving license are over-equipped compared to their first car. On the road, you can come across Audi A1, Audi Q3, new Peugeot 208 or restyled Renault Clio 5 transformed into learning vehicles. These models are very often recent (they must be less than 6 years old) and have ADAS that very often, the first car of a young driver does not have. Because in the majority of cases, the budget allocated to a car for a new driver does not allow to buy a car as well equipped. According to the independent French distribution group BYmyCAR, the favorite car of young people is the Clio 2, and the price range of a first car varies between €2,000 and €5,000.
Young drivers are less likely to respect the highway code
According to the site road safety, young people are also less likely to respect the highway code. Regarding excessive speed for example, which is responsible for a third of fatal accidents, 39% of 18-24 year-olds admit that they sometimes exceed the speed limit, compared to 27% for the population as a whole.
The same goes for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. One in five young people admit to having already driven above the blood alcohol limit or after smoking cannabis. As a reminder, the permitted blood alcohol level is 0.5 g/L, and 0.2 g/L for a probationary license, which mainly concerns 18-24 year-olds. With just one glass of alcohol, this threshold of 0.2 g/L is already more than reached. This uncompromising policy was not put in place by chance. Road accidents are the leading cause of death and disability for 18-25 year-olds. And in one in four cases, drinking and driving is a factor.
Finally, regarding using the phone while driving, which increases the number of accidents by 23 if you write a text message, 38% of 18-25 year-olds admit to having already done so.
Despite all this, road deaths among 18-24 year-olds continue to fall, from 831 deaths within 30 days in 2010 to 497 last year.
Source: www.autoplus.fr
