Over half of young drivers get behind wheel intoxicated

If you’re looking for a reason as to why car insurance premiums among young drivers are so high, you may have just found it. According to a new poll from The Co-operative Insurance, a staggering 55% of young drivers admit to getting behind the wheel under the influence of drink or illegal drugs.

The study questioned 2079 drivers and was conducted online as part of The Co-operative Insurance’s ongoing ‘2 Young 2 Die’ campaign, in association with national road safety charity ‘Brake’.

18% of young drivers admitted to driving under the influence of illegal drugs and 37% under the influence of alcohol, although this does not necessarily mean they were over the legal limit. Last week, TotallyMoney.com reported that the average premium for an eighteen year-old male is just over £2,200 a year – a whopping £1,905 more expensive than the average premium of £294 paid by drivers in their forties.

David Neave, Director of General Insurance at The Co-operative Insurance, said:

“At least 15,935 people in the UK were killed or hurt by drink and drug-drivers in 2007, whilst these figures do not suggest that every young driver was over the drink drive limit they are very concerning especially with reports warning that illegal drug use in the UK is on the increase.”

According to the report, the characteristics of drug driving are extremely wide-ranging and the effects can last for up to a day, meaning that many passengers may be unknowingly putting their lives at risk by accepting a lift with someone under the influence. Amphetamines, for example, are known to cause drivers to take dangerous risks due to an increased feeling of confidence, whereas cannabis can reduce reaction times.

Mr. Neave continued:

“Clearly the results of our survey are shocking as is the human cost of this. It is important that those that have driven under the influence understand that they are not only putting themselves at risk but others too. We want to highlight this issue to discourage drivers from taking unnecessary risks that can have disastrous consequences – so our message is simple – think first and don’t even contemplate driving under the influence.”