More than one-third of people in the UK have been involved in a crash with a young driver or know someone who has, according to new research from Brake, as pressure builds for tougher restrictions on newly qualified motorists.
The road safety charity’s Young Driver Safety report found that 35% of adults surveyed had personal experience of a collision involving a young driver, rising to 54% among 18- to 24-year-olds.
The findings land as the UK government consults on reforms to the driver licensing regime, including the possible introduction of a minimum learning period for learner drivers under its broader road safety strategy.
The debate will raise eyebrows among insurers given the disproportionate claims risk associated with younger motorists. Government data shows drivers aged 17- to 24 account for just 6% of licence holders but were involved in 24% of fatal and serious collisions in 2024.
Brake said 77% of respondents support strengthening the licensing system to reduce deaths and serious injuries involving young drivers, while 72% believe reform is essential to save lives.
The charity is calling for a tougher licensing framework, often referred to as graduated driver licensing, under which learner drivers would face enhanced training requirements and staged driving privileges.
Young motorists remain one of the highest-risk cohorts for motor insurers, typically attracting the steepest premiums in the market because of elevated claims frequency and severity.
Brake said 20% of all collisions causing death or serious injury on Britain’s roads in 2024 involved a driver aged 17 to 24, equivalent to 4,740 people killed or seriously injured annually in crashes involving young drivers. Half of those casualties were other road users.
Ross Moorlock, chief executive of Brake, said the organisation sees the impact of those crashes first-hand through its victim support work.
“Every year at Brake, we support more than 2,000 people who have been bereaved or injured in road crashes through our National Road Victim Service,” he said. “The fact that so many crashes
involve young drivers, who are just starting a new, exciting chapter of their lives as adults, adds to the heartache.”
Among the measures backed by survey respondents were a minimum learning period before taking a driving test (70%), restrictions on carrying peer-age passengers for newly qualified drivers (73%), limits on unsupervised late-night driving (74%), and a zero-alcohol requirement for new drivers during their first six months on the road (88%).
Brake’s report also features testimony from bereaved families affected by young-driver crashes. Nicky Johnson, whose 17-year-old daughter Phoebe died in a 2021 late-night crash involving a newly qualified 19-year-old driver, said: “If any parts of graduated driver licensing had been law, I believe they wouldn't have taken that journey, and Phoebe would still be here.”
Road safety experts said the findings reinforce longstanding evidence in favour of reform.
Shaun Helman, chief scientist for behavioural sciences at TRL, said the report demonstrates “broad public support” for measures currently under consultation as part of the 2026 Road Safety Strategy.
Dr Neale Kinnear, behavioural scientist at Affective Mobility Ltd, added that the data should also resonate with insurers.
“A structured licensing framework does not limit young drivers – it equips them,” he said. “It gives young people, parents, instructors and insurers a clear framework for managing risk and supporting the development of safer drivers.”
The Department for Transport’s consultation on introducing a minimum learning period for learner drivers remains open until May 11.
