Skip to main content

Norway to address young male driver safety?

Safety campaigners in Norway are proposing a novel approach to cutting road accident levels. With data showing that young male drivers account for a disproportionately high number of accidents, calls are being made for increased regulations in order to boost safety. Those suggesting the changes believe that tougher rules for young male drivers in the 18-24 age group would reduce the number of traffic accidents.Norway's accident data reveals that of road accidents involving fatalities, young men are the driv
May 9, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Safety campaigners in Norway are proposing a novel approach to cutting road accident levels. With data showing that young male drivers account for a disproportionately high number of accidents, calls are being made for increased regulations in order to boost safety. Those suggesting the changes believe that tougher rules for young male drivers in the 18-24 age group would reduce the number of traffic accidents.

Norway’s accident data reveals that of road accidents involving fatalities, young men are the drivers in 20% of accidents. The safety campaigners say that cars driven by men in the 18-24 age range should be equipped with an interlock device and have a built-in speed limiter. Young male drivers should also be prohibited from carrying passengers.

But according to the 5470 Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF), these measures will have little impact. Instead emphasis should be on safer cars, improved road standards and information campaigns.

Norway’s road safety record is amongst the best in the world, due to a mixture of low traffic densities overall on the road network, good driver education and good vehicle condition. Other countries with good road safety standards, such as Sweden and the UK, have similar approaches to reducing accident levels. And in these countries too, the disparity of accidents involving young male drivers has been identified. But many other countries around the world have yet to tackle the specific problems to road safety caused by young males in the 18-24 age range, which is one reason why their road fatality rates will remain high.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017 will help you imagine what’s next
    March 15, 2017
    What sort of key trends will be on show, and how will these new technologies shape the sector over the coming years? Alan Dron interviewed Al Cervero, the AEM senior vice-president for construction, utility and mining on how the show will reveal what is coming. The theme for this year’s event is “Imagine what’s next”, a particularly appropriate title in view of the changes in both technology and the environment in which that technology will be used.
  • Safety gains seen on Europe’s roads, and wider afield
    January 29, 2020
    Road safety is improving in parts of Europe.
  • Road user charging, the way to highway investment?
    February 27, 2012
    Tough political decisions have to be made to ensure highway investment - *Dr Max Lay reports
  • Road user charging, the way to highway investment?
    April 12, 2012
    Tough political decisions have to be made to ensure highway investment - *Dr Max Lay reports Our road systems and how we use them have changed dramatically over the last few centuries, and yet some problems persist and others reappear. For most of human history roads have been used by foot traffic and by cumbersome wagons hauled at walking pace. Roads were built to provide some obvious advantage in commerce or conquest. They were then grudgingly maintained by those who might gain some advantage from the