Worrying toll of young drivers

ALMOST one in three people killed in road accidents in Oldham is under 25, figures have revealed.

Statistics published by the Department for Transport (DfT) show there have been 32 fatalities in Oldham over the past five years — 10 of them aged 25 or under.

The victims included pedestrians, motor-cyclists and passengers, as well as motorists. The data, released in response to a Parliamentary question, prompted an admission that the Government is concerned about a minority of young drivers who put themselves and others at risk.

The worst year for deaths among young people in Oldham was 2006 when four of the six deaths involved under-25s.

A DfT spokeswoman said: “The majority of new drivers seek to be responsible and safe but we are of course concerned that a small minority of drivers, particularly those in the 17-25 age group, put themselves and other road-users at risk.

“The latest figures show that the total numbers of deaths in crashes involving car drivers aged 17-24 years fell by 22 per cent from the 2007 figure but we know we still need to do more.

“That is why we recently announced a major overhaul of the driver training and testing process.

“This includes a new pre-driver qualification for 14 to 17-year-olds and improvements to the theory and practical tests — including introducing a new assessment of a candidate’s ability to drive independently — to better prepare young drivers for the road.

“We are confident that this new approach will help us to further reduce the number of deaths and injuries on the roads.”

The changes by Government follow calls from the Commons transport select committee for tougher measures and restrictions for new drivers.