Group set up to tackle road death toll

A WORKING party is being set up in a bid to cut the number of young people in Essex involved in car accidents.

A study commissioned by Essex County Council found that young people aged between 17 to 25 are involved in a third of all injury accidents.

Accidents involving this age group tend to take place at night and excessive speed is often a contributory factor. The young drivers are found to be at fault in 80% of the accidents.

The council already sends out an information pack to every17-year-old in the county containing useful information for the young person and their parent at a time when the issue of driving is most pertinent.

Secondary schools in Essex also have the chance to take part in a pre-driver education initiative provided by the county council. It is called BSM Ignition and includes teacher training and a teaching pack.

Now a driving working group is being launched to try to improve the accident record of young drivers. The inaugural meeting is on November 12. It will be followed by a seminar to get the message across to a wider audience.

Nationally a Pass Plus scheme has been introduced to give extra experience in specific areas of motoring, such as night-time or motorway driving, which a learner-driver does not get while practising for their driving licence.

This summer, Essex Police made a plea to young drivers to take more care, following a spate of tragic accidents in which young people died. So far almost a quarter of people killed on the roads in the county this year have been aged 21 or under.

A police spokesman blamed inexperience – not being familiar with the vehicle or road layout.

The AA is advocating a young driver's code saying what is expected of them, asking them to think before driving a powerful car, carrying many passengers or driving in the early hours.

If police spotted a driver committing an offence in contravention of the code, they could refer the matter to court instead of issuing a fixed penalty notice.