The following
remarkable claim is made in a recent report by the NRA titled "Young
Drivers Accidents 1997". In the Summary point 4 "Young Female drivers
were held to be, to a large extent responsible in 44 per cent of accidents,
compared with 57 per cent for young male drivers".
"These figures which add up to 101% clearly do not make sense" says
Mick Murphy the National Organiser of MIJAG. Based on this report, The
National Safety Council , RTE and other media organisations routinely
make the claim that Young Male Drivers are responsible for 57% of all
road accidents. However the NRA report is primarily an analysis of Garda
C(T)68 accident reports. The author is in fact referring to the accidents
that young drivers were involved in and not all accidents" Mr Murphy
added.
"Closer reading of the report shows that young drivers are involved
in one quarter of all accidents of which they are responsible half of
the time. Young drivers represent one out of every sixteen drivers and
are responsible for one out of every eight accidents. That figures tallies
with Irish Insurance Federation figures that put young drivers at twice
the average risk". Mr Murphy added.
Mijag welcomed the report but has pointed out several other contradictions
within it and has written to the NRA seeking clarification.
"No one is denying the higher risk young drivers represent on the road
but hysterical comments which blame all the ills on our roads on young
drivers solves nothing. This hysteria only plays into the hands of the
Insurance Industry who continue to charge Young Drivers five times the
average Insurance Premium" Mr Murphy said.
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