Kent Police urges families to keep influencing young drivers after lessons end

According to a UK Parliament research briefing drawing on Department for Transport data, in 2022 around one fifth of all car collisions resulting in death or serious injury in Great Britain involved drivers aged 17 to 24. In the same year, around 1,365 young car drivers in that age group were killed or seriously injured on British roads. Young male drivers aged 17 to 24 are around four times as likely to be killed or seriously injured while driving compared with all car drivers aged 25 or over, according to the same briefing.

Kent County Council’s Road Casualty Reduction Strategy identifies young drivers as an at-risk group in the county and describes targeted programmes including “Licence to Kill”, “Speak Up” and “See the Hazards”, delivered in schools, colleges and community venues. According to Kent and Medway road safety partnership documents, the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership works to address young driver risk through both enforcement and education across Kent’s road network. The Kent Police and Crime Commissioner has backed a dedicated young driver course which, according to the Office of the PCC, is the only intervention of its kind delivered across Kent specifically to young motorists.

Department for Transport factsheets show that young drivers have a casualty rate per billion vehicle miles more than five times greater than that of older drivers in England, despite overall reductions in road casualties over recent decades. Kent County Council and its partners have adopted Vision Zero principles, with the stated aim of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on Kent and Medway’s roads.

Key information

• Kent Police’s young driver road safety guidance is available via the force’s official website.
• Young driver education programmes including “Licence to Kill” and “See the Hazards” are delivered in participating schools and colleges in Kent — contact Kent County Council for details of local provision.
• The Kent Police and Crime Commissioner’s young driver course is available to young motorists in the county — contact the Office of the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner for eligibility and referral information.