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

  • New Central Ring Road around Moscow to be built by 2018
    September 30, 2013
    Eugene Gerden evaluates Moscow’s new ring road mega project The Russian government plans to complete implementation of one of the most ambitious projects in the country’s road building industry in recent years, which involves construction of The Central Ring Road around Moscow by 2018. The new road should be built by the next presidential elections, while its length will be 339km. It is expected to be comprised of five sections and will be located 50km away from Moscow Ring Road, a ring road encircling the
  • Study highlights risks of US teenage drivers carrying other teens
    May 14, 2012
    A new study carried out in the US reveals that teenaged drivers taking other teenagers as passengers have a higher fatality risk. The study used national fatality statistics data and was carried out by the American Automobile Association's Foundation for Traffic Safety. It revealed that teenagers sharing a ride with other teenagers have a higher chance of getting killed in a car crash depending on the number of passengers in the car.
  • Norway's bridge meets tough environmental targets
    May 2, 2012
    One of the world's longest bridges is being built in Norway – for traffic volumes of just 2,000 cars/day reports Adrian Greeman. The stunning landscape of the long sea fjords in Norway is one of its glories, attracting thousands of tourists every summer. But the high mountains and deep sea inlets are also one of the great obstacles to transport and development.
  • Norway's bridge meets tough environmental targets
    February 27, 2012
    One of the world's longest bridges is being built in Norway – for traffic volumes of just 2,000 cars/day reports Adrian Greeman. The stunning landscape of the long sea fjords in Norway is one of its glories, attracting thousands of tourists every summer. But the high mountains and deep sea inlets are also one of the great obstacles to transport and development.