Fewer casualties in accidents involving young drivers

It was reported on BBC Radio 4 Today this morning that government proposals to introduce specific restrictions for young drivers have been scrapped (apart from in Northern Ireland). The piece also claimed that young drivers (aged 17 to 24) were involved in more than a fifth of road deaths in 2012.

This figure comes from the Department for Transport's annual Reported Road Casualties report. 

But the report also finds that the number of incidents where people were killed or seriously injured (so-called KSI casualties) involving at least one young driver has fallen much quicker over recent years than those where no young car driver was involved. Particularly so since the start of the economic downturn in 2007.

The Transport Research Lab suggests that the overall decline during the downturn is due to a number of factors, including a reduction in overall traffic volume and people driving more slowly to conserve fuel.

This is not to say that these are all cases where the young driver has been at fault - there might be another older driver involved.

The National Travel Survey also suggests there may be fewer young drivers on the road, which could be a factor in the decreasing casualties.