A third of young people think they’re better drivers than their parents

According to research by RED Driving School, the UK’s largest driving school, one in three young people believe they’re better drivers than their elders because they’re more careful.

Out of those surveyed, 29 per cent have stated that they think their driving is of a higher quality as they don’t exhibit the bad habits that their parents and grandparents do when driving.

RED questioned 500 young people about a range of driving issues including insurance, driving quality and perceptions of newly qualified and experienced drivers.

“This week is Road Safety Week and we thought it was important to ask young drivers, both learners and newly qualified, about their thoughts on how well they drive,” said Ian McIntosh, CEO, RED Driving School. “It’s good to see that young drivers are confident in their driving ability and believe that, because they’re going through or have recently been through the driving tuition and test procedure, they’re better placed to drive safely and competently.

“At RED, we have a level of responsibility for the next generation of drivers and ensuring that, once on the road, they are fully equipped with the level of driving skill required to be a responsible driver. Safe, high quality driving is ingrained in pupils from their very first lesson through to test stage and beyond.

“We know that, overall, young drivers have a higher tendency to drive less safely but it is not necessarily regulation and new laws that is needed to change this, rather education and more rigorous, regular training. Instructors are key to this as they are responsible for the development of new drivers’ skills and it is through this tuition that RED makes a real difference in fostering responsible young drivers.”

Young people were asked also about their thoughts on insurance and how this impacts their desire and ability to drive. High insurance costs have long been perceived as a key barrier to getting on the road but these latest statistics reveal that the positives outweigh the costs.

Despite 74 per cent of respondents believing that insurance companies are unfair towards young drivers and have a bias against them, 92 per cent of 17-24 year olds currently learning to drive or wanting to drive are doing so because of the freedom it gives them.

McIntosh continued: “It’s good news that young people recognise the huge benefits that being able to drive provides, from freedom and independence to better employment opportunities and ability to go wherever, whenever, they want.

“Although there are financial implications, as with many things, being able to drive does provide you with a lifelong skill that remains invaluable to all aspects of life at any age.”

RED Driving School teaches over 100,000 learner drivers each year and has over 1,600 driving instructors on the roads.