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One in five new drivers crash within 12 months of passing their test, therefore car insurance experts at Confused.com are warning young drivers to stay vigilant on the roads.
As part of their brand new study mapping the drink-driving laws around the world, they reveal countries that face the harshest prison sentences for drivers under the influence.
Their research found that Canada has the harshest prison sentence, with a maximum of 10 years.
Alex Kindred, car insurance expert at Confused.com, shares the rules and regulations new and young drivers should be aware of, and expert tips on how they can stay safe on the roads during the festive period.
The full article is ready-to-run, complete with imagery. See attached: Young Drivers 20% More Likely To Crash: Here’s how to drive safely this Christmas
Here’s a sample of the content:
Tip 1- Don’t let passengers distract you
If you are the designated driver for that evening, don’t allow your passengers who may have had a few drinks during the festive season to distract you. This includes things such as them telling you to look at something as you are driving, or messing around with your radio.
You are responsible for the safety of any passenger in your vehicle, so ensure you warn them that you need to concentrate. If you have an accident due to being distracted, you can’t pass the blame onto your passengers.
Tip 2- NEVER drive after consuming alcohol or drugs
Whilst snowy weather can impact your vision without being under the influence, studies show that even being within the legal drink-driving limit can reduce the eye’s ability to adjust for brightness by 30%.
Having alcohol or drugs in your system, no matter how little, can impair your abilities behind the wheel. This includes over-the-counter medicines. If you’re driving, don’t drink. And if you’re drinking, don’t drive.
Tip 3- Consider taking a Pass Plus course
A Pass Plus course helps hone your skills in specific circumstances, such as night driving and driving on the motorway. The aim is to make you a safer driver that can adapt to adverse conditions and unfamiliar road types.
The course is practical training that takes at least 6 hours and is for drivers to improve their skills and drive more safely.
It can be taken at any time, although it should be most useful to new drivers in the year after passing their test.
Tip 4- Don’t Speed
Whilst it may seem like an obvious one, many serious crashes happen because drivers lose control, especially around bends when they’ve misjudged the speed and handling.
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Many drivers don’t realise that even travelling an extra couple of miles per hour could determine whether an accident is fatal or not.
Alex Kindred believes there are several factors that can put new, inexperienced drivers at risk:
“When drivers carry others, particularly ones of a similar age, peer pressure received by passengers can encourage bad driving and showing off.
“Speeding is another factor younger drivers do not take seriously. Many young drivers will feel frustration from lower speed limits on roads and exceed them. Driving at night is also a factor here, as quieter roads will encourage faster driving and use of mobile phones behind the wheel.
“One of the most worrying factors for young drivers is drink and drug driving. Data received from UK police forces revealed that an average of 1,000 under-age children had been caught and charged with drink-driving offences each year since 2008.”