Young drivers filming themselves behind the wheel for social media – survey

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

More than three out of 10 young drivers have taken photographs or recorded video footage while they are behind the wheel, a new survey suggests.

Some 31% of UK motorists aged 18-26 admitted to the behaviour in a poll commissioned by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart.

More than half (57%) said they subsequently uploaded the content to social media.

The survey also indicated that 41% of young drivers have got behind the wheel while tired, 16% have sent a text message while driving, and the same percentage have driven in excess of 90mph.

Department for Transport (DfT) figures show a fifth of drivers crash within one year of passing their test.

Some 4,311 car drivers under the age of 25 were involved in crashes on Britain’s roads in which at least one person was killed or seriously injured in 2022.

IAM RoadSmart believes its research demonstrates the need for graduated driving licensing to be introduced in the UK.

This would place restrictions on drivers for a set period after they pass their test, such as preventing them from carrying passengers of a similar age.

Graduated driving licences are used in several countries, including the US, Canada, Australia and Sweden.

The DfT announced in July 2019 that it was considering introducing them in England.

But the assessment was halted in autumn 2020, partly due to the potential impact on young people’s employment.

IAM RoadSmart policy and standards director Nicholas Lyes said: “Young people can often feel invincible behind the wheel, but the Government statistics paint a different picture.

“Meanwhile, our research reveals some worrying habits, like speeding and using phones behind the wheel, all of which can have devastating consequences.

“This shows the Government needs to consider a statutory minimum period of learning to allow new drivers to gain confidence, experience and skills.

“There is also an appetite for younger drivers to take additional driving courses, but, given the costs they face, we believe there must be some financial reward for doing so through lower insurance premium costs or taxation.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “The safety of our roads is an absolute priority for this Government.

“Through our longstanding Think! campaign we are encouraging behaviour change in order to tackle dangerous driving.

“We are committed to delivering a new road safety strategy – the first in over a decade.

“We will set out next steps on this in due course.”

– The survey of 1,000 young drivers was carried out by research company OnePoll between August 9 and 13.