Why do young drivers crash?

It's a sad fact that young drivers are more at risk than other road users. They are prone to killing and injuring themselves, their passengers and other road users.

Some of the main reasons for this are:

Driving too fast
Some young drivers drive too quickly, either because they are encouraged to do so by the people travelling with them, or to show off or compete with other drivers, or simply because they love the sensation of driving fast.

Inexperience
Young drivers have less experience than older drivers and this can get them into trouble when they face new situations on the road.

Over-confidence
Despite a lack of experience, some young drivers are very confident about their driving ability; they think they are a better driver than they actually are.

Risk-taking
Some young drivers regularly take risks that older, more experienced drivers tend not to take.

Seat belts
Some young people don't like wearing a seat belt, which makes them much more likely to be seriously injured if they have a crash.

Mobile phones
Some young drivers use their hand held mobile phone when driving, ether to make or receive calls or for texting.

Distraction
There are loads of things that can distract a young driver; noisy and excited mates travelling with them, changing a CD, looking at what's happening on the pavement instead of the road ahead, smoking etc

Peer pressure
Young drivers can be pressurised by their mates travelling as passengers; they can be encouraged to take risks, drive too quickly, race other drivers, show off etc.

Drink and drug driving
A proportion of young drivers are prone to driving after drinking and/or taking drugs, which is clearly illegal and highly dangerous.

These are the risks and causes of crashes - and the reasons why we want your help.