Driving in the dark warnings as more young lives are lost
Experts call for more lessons at night
We can reveal a third of road accidents in Cumbria involving young drivers are happening at night.
It comes as we continue Caitlin's Campaign calling for the Government to introduce a graduated driving licence, which would give learners more experience behind the wheel.
The DVSA says up to 100,000 driving test candidates may be taking their driving test each year without having ever practised driving in the dark, despite 35% of all road accidents involving young drivers happening at night.
To help cut the high proportion of night-time accidents the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is calling on learners and parents to make sure, where possible that learners:
· take driving lessons in the dark
· practice driving in the dark with parents or other accompanying drivers
· record driving lessons and practice in the DVSA drivers record
· follow the DVSA’s top tips for driving in the dark
Research among young drivers, conducted by DVSA, shows that 17.5% of respondents had no experience of driving at night before taking their test. A further 22% said they had driven in the dark for less than 2 hours before taking their test.
DVSA Chief Driving Examiner, Mark Winn, said:
“DVSA’s priority is to help everyone through a lifetime of safe driving.
“It’s essential that all learners gain experience of driving in the dark, whether with their driving instructor or through private practice.
“Spotting hazards in reduced visibility is a skill built on experience. The more time a learner spends practising in different conditions, the better prepared they will be for driving safely on their own.”
From 2014-2018:
· around 35% (8,900) of all accidents involving young drivers occurred in the dark
· 610,000 learner drivers aged 17-24 took their driving test between October 2018 and October 2019. This suggests as many as 106,000 of those may be taking their driving test each year without practicing driving in the dark.