Young Marmalade
Barely able to contain their excitement at the prospect of becoming king or queen of the road, responsibility is literally thrown out the window with young drivers statistically proven to have more accidents than other road users simply by failing to prioritise safety first. The Think! Road safety campaign defines them as the most at risk group on the road, making a safe modern vehicle a potential life saver, according to combined car purchase and insurance scheme, Young Marmalade.
“Under developed road sense, fewer hours behind the wheel and the sniff of freedom are a lethal combination, leading to carelessness and mistakes. Inevitably, this means new drivers take more life-threatening risks than other drivers,” says Crispin Moger of Young Marmalade.
From peer pressure to general unawareness of road hazards – any parent who has spent time with their offspring at the wheel will know that many young drivers make the mistake of thinking that the learning period behind the wheel is now safely over. Yet with many carrying an overload of passengers, failing to wear seat belts, driving through red lights and speeding – accidents on the road will not be reduced.
If any of these scenarios sound familiar, combined car purchase and fixed price insurance scheme Young Marmalade advises that shock tactics very rarely work on young drivers. New drivers are less likely than other road users to belt up in the front or back and less likely to refuse to drive off with a passenger who was unbelted.
The ubiquitous mobile phone is also a repeat offender, causing untold bumps and hazards on the road. On 27th February this year, new legislation came into effect concerning the use of mobile phones while driving, awarding a grand total of 3 penalty points and a £60 fixed penalty fee if caught. Six points on the license within two years of passing the test will mean re-sitting the test. Should the case go to court, expect a maximum fine of up to £1,000. What’s more, prosecution also applies to the use of hands-free devices as these do not allow the driver to apply proper control to the vehicle. Surprisingly, this has not put the breaks on mobile phone related incidents – 43% of young drivers say they are more likely to talk on a mobile phone while driving than other road users.
A second sin of new drivers is speeding - with back roads less controlled than main roads, many young people opt to speed through the former. These roads less suited to speed, are a cause of many accidents and this is where a majority take place. Frightening statistics released by the Green Flag report on safe driving involve shocking admissions by eager young drivers themselves – almost half admit to speeding in town, with three quarters saying they break the speed limit to overtake. Young bravado or an actual cause for concern? Research shows an 18-year old driver is more than three times likely to be involved in a crash than a 48-year old driver.
With parental advice often falling on deaf ears in the face of an open road, it is essential that youngsters are reminded of their road safety responsibilities and equipped with a car designed to stand up to modern motoring challenges and potentially save their lives.
While most parents will recognise chatting on mobiles and speeding through town and country as road sins committed by their eager new drivers, a common parental road sin is to provide the disgruntled offspring with a cheap second hand car, thinking that it will be a more suitable recipient of the inevitable bumps and scrapes than a shiny, new vehicle.
According to research by the UK’s combined car purchase and insurance scheme, Young Marmalade, a solution to cutting down the rate of mortality amongst young drivers is to ensure that they are driving a new or nearly new car, fully equipped with all modern safety features such as airbags, ABS brakes, a high NCAP Safety Rating and powered steering.
The car purchase package makes new and nearly new vehicles with class-leading safety innovations an affordable investment. The Renault Clio, a five star NCAP safety recipient, Citroen C2, Vauxhall Corsa, Fiat Grande Punto – all street smart cars made attractive and affordable by Young Marmalade. By basing insurance costs won postcode and not age, the biggest stumbling block for new drivers is removed. This allows Young Marmalade to provide easier and more affordable access to safe cars, jam packed with modern safety equipment.
And because road safety is something that can be taught, Young Marmalade offers easy access to national courses like Pass Plus and Drive and Survive which provide practical young driver training in road safety.
If your child is committing road sins, log on to www.youngmarmalade.co.uk for details of the unique combined car purchase and insurance scheme with cheaper insurance for young and careful drivers. For further details, visit www.youngmarmalade.co.uk
Editor’s Note:
Please direct all digital media enquiries, including requests for interviews and high-resolution images to, Rebecca Appleton: Email: rebecca@topposition.co.uk, or Tel: 0800 094 9001
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
