PRESS RELEASE: EMBARGOED UNTIL 00.01 Wednesday, 8 November 2006
Contact: Chris Frost, Marketing Officer
Tel: 01484 531 774/ 07976 069159 (out of hours)
Websites: www.brake.org.uk and www.roadsafetyweek.org
Bereaved parents launch campaign to cut young driver crashes in Yorkshire and Humberside - as survey finds racing and risk-taking by young drivers plagues the region’s roads
Three in ten young people (29%) in Yorkshire and Humberside have driven or been a passenger in a road race, finds a survey of 407 15-25 year-olds across the region. The survey is released today at the Leeds launch of Road Safety Week – co-ordinated by road safety charity Brake and supported by ASDA, Direct Line and Green Flag Motoring Assistance.
The charity will also uncover Government statistics showing the appalling extent of deaths and injuries among the region’s young people in road crashes – the biggest killer of 15-24 year-olds.[1]
Journalists, photographers and film crews are invited to attend a media launch and photocall:
Time: 10AM Wednesday 8 November (interviews from 10am, photocall at 10.30am)
Location: Horsforth School, Lee Lane East, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 5RF
Image: 19 young people holding a banner saying ‘19 young people killed and seriously injured in vehicles every week in Yorkshire and Humberside’.[2]
Launching the Week are bereaved parents Anne Bowden from Leeds, Ann Cunliffe and Debbie Mavin from Barnsley, and Tony Davison from Leeds. They will be urging the region’s young people to commit to never taking risks as drivers or passengers.
Anne Bowden’s 17 year-old son Anthony was killed while riding as a passenger with his friend Chris, 18. They had both been drinking when they took Chris’s mum’s car. Chris was unlicensed and uninsured and was driving at at least 53mph in a 30mph limit when he lost control and smashed into a lamp post. Chris received head injuries and Anthony was killed.
Thomas Wood, son of Debbie Mavin and the grandson of Ann Cunliffe, was killed aged 17 in February 2005. He was in a car with three friends when the 18 year-old driver, who had only just passed his test, tried to overtake on a bend. He hit a motorbike coming the other way – killing both the 33 year-old motorcyclist and Thomas.
Tony Davison’s son Adrian was killed aged 18 along with his best friend, who was driving them home after a night out. Both of them had been drinking. Adrian had called his dad just a few minutes before he died to say he was coming home.
The launch will also be attended by Dianne Ferreira, communications officer at Brake, who will be available to talk about Brake’s survey findings, and Brake’s calls for action to stop tragic deaths and injuries of young people on roads. Also attending the launch are Tim Draper, senior road safety officer at Leeds City Council, who can speak about local initiatives to raise awareness among young drivers, and Inspector Russell Clark, road policing inspector at West Yorkshire Police, who can speak about traffic enforcement in the region.
Leeds City Council and Tony Davison are also holding a Road Safety Week initiative at Leeds Metropolitan Student's Union bar on Thursday 9 November. A hazard reaction test will be offered to the customers and there will be a photocall with balloons to represent the number of UK road deaths occurring daily, and the proportion of those that are drink-drive related.
Government statistics uncovered by Brake reveal that 19 young drivers and passengers are killed or seriously injured every week in Yorkshire and Humberside.[3] In the region in 2005, 96 drivers, passengers and motorcyclists aged 15-25 were killed and 875 were seriously injured.[4] Serious injuries include brain damage, spinal injuries and limb-loss.
Other results from Brake’s survey of 407 young people in Yorkshire and Humberside include:
· Nearly three in ten (28%) have driven without a licence
· One in 16 (6%) has driven a stolen vehicle
· One in six (16%) has been a passenger with a driver who they knew was unlicensed, uninsured, or who had stolen the car
· A quarter (25%) have been a passenger in a car driven by a driver on drink or drugs
· More than four in ten (43%) don’t always belt up in the back
Out of the young people surveyed who drive:
· Nearly half (43%) have broken 30mph limits by 10mph or more. Of these, three-quarters (76%) are male
· Nearly one in five (18%) has overtaken at speed when they are unsure of what is coming in the other direction. Of these, eight out of ten (82%) are male
· More than one in five (21%) has driven at more than 70mph on a rural road. Of these, three quarters (76%) are male
· Three in ten (29%) have driven after drinking alcohol
· One in 16 (6%) has driven on illegal drugs.
Anne Bowden says: “In December 2004 a young speeding drunk driver changed my family’s lives forever. My son Anthony was killed while travelling as a passenger in a friend’s car. Many young drivers see driving as thrilling and exciting, an expression of their freedom. Some come under intense peer pressure to take risks behind the wheel. But as I know all too well, the combination of inexperience and risk-taking can be devastating. I’m helping to launch Road Safety Week to urge every driver – young and old – in Yorkshire and Humberside to take responsibility for their actions behind the wheel and make a pledge to drive safely. That means never speeding, never driving on drink or drugs, and always belting up. By doing this, we will be working as a community to stop needless tragedies like the death of Anthony.”
Debbie Mavin and Anne Cunliffe say:“Thomas was snatched from us at such a young age. The devastation that his death has caused us is unimaginable and something that we wouldn’t wish on any other family. If you have recently passed your driving test – please take extra care, even if you feel confident. Please realise that taking risks while driving simply aren’t worth the life-time of suffering you could cause if you inflict death or injury on yourself or someone else. Please remember Thomas every time you get behind the wheel.”
Tony Davison says: “My son Adrian and his best friend were both killed aged just 18. Adrian’s best friend was driving them home after a night out and they had both been drinking. The suffering caused to my family by Adrian’s death is indescribable. Please think twice before taking risks like drink-driving or speeding – especially if you’re carrying passengers. Their lives are in your hands. And never get in a car with someone who’s been drinking, taking drugs, or who speeds. Friends should look after each other – not put each other’s lives at risk.”
Dianne Ferreira, communications officer at Brake, says: “Every week, more Yorkshire and Humberside families and communities suffer tragic deaths and injuries caused by risk-taking young drivers. Yet road deaths and injuries are preventable – through young people taking more responsibility for their actions on roads, and through a combined effort by parents, communities and our Government to help young drivers stay safe. We’re calling on all young people in the region to commit to staying within speed limits, never driving on drink or drugs and always belting up. Even if you feel confident behind the wheel, you’re never immune to the potentially life-shattering consequences of taking risks on our roads.”
Brake is calling on the Government to take action to tackle road death and injury involving young people. Brake wants:
- A system of graduated driver licensing (GDL), so there is a minimum period of learning to drive, followed by a provisional licence period where newly-qualified drivers have restrictions placed upon them, such as night-time driving curfews and limits on numbers of passenger. GDL radically reduced car crash injuries to 15-19 year-olds (by 23%) when introduced in New Zealand.[5]
- Compulsory road safety education in schools for all ages, so that young people develop an understanding of the risks of the road by the time they leave school and learn to drive.
- Year-round prime-time TV advertising aimed at young people on key safe driving topics such as speeding, drink and drug driving and seat belt use.
- More investment in dedicated traffic police and enforcement technology, such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, designed to catch unlicensed and uninsured drivers.
The facts about young driver and passenger casualties in the UK
· Nationally, road crashes are the biggest killer of 15-24 year-olds.[6]
· In 2005 in the UK, 846 drivers, passengers and motorbike riders aged 15-25 were killed, 7,362 were seriously injured and 62,146 were slightly injured. That’s one 15-25 year-old driver or passenger killed or seriously injured every hour.[7]
· One in eight car licence holders are aged under 25, [8] yet one in three (33%) drivers who die on UK roads are under 25 (up from 29% in 2004). [9]
· One in four (26%) convictions for causing death by dangerous driving are against under-21s.[10]
About Brake’s survey
Brake surveyed 4,486 young people aged 15-25 across the UK, including 407 in Yorkshire and Humberside. Surveys were completed anonymously by students in secondary schools, sixth form colleges and further education colleges.
Notes for editors
Brake is an independent national road safety charity. Brake exists to stop the 9 deaths and 89 serious injuries that happen on UK roads every day and to care for families bereaved and seriously injured in road crashes. Brake produces educational literature, runs community training programmes and runs events including Road Safety Week (6–12 November 2006). Brake’s Fleet Safety Forum provides up-to-date fleet safety resources for fleet managers. BrakeCare, Brake’s support division, cares for road crash victims through a helpline and other services.
To attend the launch or set up interviews with a Brake representative or Anne Bowden, Debbie Mavin or Tony Davison, call 01484 559909 (or 07976 069159 out of hours).
ENDS
[1] Deaths by age, sex and underlying cause, 2005 registrations: Health Statistics Quarterly 30
[2] Figures obtained by Brake from the Department for Transport, 2006. Regional figures include West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, Humberside and Lincolnshire police force areas.
[3] Figures obtained by Brake from the Department for Transport, 2006
[4] Figures obtained by Brake from the Department for Transport, 2006
[5] Figures from Land Transport New Zealand, 2006
[6] Deaths by age, sex and underlying cause, 2005 registrations: Health Statistics Quarterly 30
[7] Figures obtained by Brake from the Department for Transport, 2006
[8] Figures obtained Driving Standards Agency’s press office, 2006
[9] Statistics obtained by Brake from the Department for Transport on Great Britain casualties and statistics from www.psni.police.uk (Police Service of Northern Ireland) for Northern Ireland
[10] Motoring Offences and Breath Test statistics England and Wales 2004 (Home Office, 2005)