INEXPERIENCED DRIVERS appear at a higher risk of being killed in a crash compared to those with a full licence, according to an examination of crash data by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
In an analysis of 89 fatal crashes in 2008 where the driver was killed, 23 per cent did not have a full licence, even though this group made up only 12.3 per cent of drivers. Of those who died, 72 had a full licence while 17 did not. Twelve of those killed who held a learner permit were aged between 17 and 24 years.
That year some 12.3 per cent of 2.63 million licence holders were on a permit, suggesting the rate of fatalities among inexperienced drivers is far higher than their proportion of the driver population.
A second finding was that in 80 crashes where the driver was deemed responsible for the death of another road user, 18, or 22.5 per cent, held a learner permit. In a further 23 cases the licence status was unknown.
Noel Brett, chief executive of the RSA, cautioned that the data related only to one year and that in 36 cases the driver’s licence status was unknown, but said it was clear inexperienced drivers were more likely to be involved in a collision.
“The point we would make is that collisions, and particularly serious collisions, have more to do with experience than a driver’s age.” The figures were compiled from an analysis of Garda road collision report forms.
Mr Brett said there appeared to be two age-groups with particularly high fatalities – teenagers and motorists aged 60 to 65 years.
In 2008, 220 people were seriously injured in collisions, 28 of whom, or just over 14 per cent, did not have a full licence, according to the RSA analysis.
