Young drivers are more at risk of road fatalities across Northern Ireland than any other age group, which has reignited calls for new motoring restrictions.
It follows the release of the Northern Ireland Road Safety Strategy annual report by the Department for Infrastructure this week, which found that drivers within two years of passing their test were involved in collisions resulting in an average of 144 deaths or serious injuries annually between 2022 and 2024.
This represents a 28 per cent increase from the 2014-2016 baseline, which recorded 113 casualties per year, the department detailed.
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The data has now sparked calls for Graduated Driving Licences, with campaigners arguing that restrictions on newly qualified motorists could prevent hundreds of deaths and serious injuries each year across the UK.
The road casualty report has sparked calls for the Government to introduce Graduated Driving Licences
| GETTY/PAThe 2024 statistics paint a troubling picture of road safety across Northern Ireland. Total fatalities reached 69, marking a two per cent rise from the baseline figure of 68, while serious injuries surged to 939, representing a 25 per cent increase from 2022 (751).
Young people aged between 16 and 24 accounted for 207 killed or seriously injured casualties, exceeding the baseline by five per cent.
Shockingly, children under 15 fared worse, with 93 casualties representing a 31 per cent increase above baseline figures.
The data revealed that inexperienced drivers pose significant risks with collisions involving motorists under 25 resulting in 268 casualties, a 12 per cent jump from 2023's figure of 240.
Young drivers across Northern Ireland are more at risk of collisions within the first six months of having their licence
| GETTYThe most alarming finding concerns drivers in their first six months after passing their test, with the report detailing how these motorists were involved in 35 per cent of all novice driver casualties, highlighting the extreme vulnerability of newly qualified drivers during this initial period.
The risk gradually decreases with experience as drivers who had held their licence for between seven and 12 months accounted for 26 per cent of casualties, while those with between 13 and 18 months' experience represented 24 per cent.
Motorists who have two years of driving experience were found to be the safest group, responsible for just 13 per cent of incidents.
The report warned that nearly seven in 10 casualties involving novice drivers were attributed to the inexperienced motorist themselves. This proportion was highest among the newest drivers, with 76 per cent of incidents involving those within six months of passing their test deemed their responsibility.
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Crystal Owen, whose 17-year-old son Harvey died alongside three friends in a crash in 2023, has become a prominent voice in the campaign for reform.
Mr Harvey was travelling with a newly qualified driver when their vehicle left the road and ended up in a water-filled ditch, causing all four teenagers to drown.
"I was unaware he was being driven to Wales by a newly qualified driver he had met at college, not the older, experienced driver I thought he was with," Ms Owen stated in her petition, which has gathered over 108,000 signatures.
The proposed restrictions include a mandatory six-month learning period before testing, and a ban on carrying passengers under 25 for six months after passing unless accompanied by an older adult.
Young drivers are more likely to be involved in a road fatality or collision
| GETTYOwen's petition emphasised that approximately 537 deaths and serious injuries could be prevented annually across the UK through implementing these measures for drivers aged between 17 and 19 years old.
Violations would carry six penalty points, triggering automatic licence suspension and mandatory retesting under existing legislation.
A DfT spokesperson told GB News: "While we are not considering Graduated Driving Licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads, and we are considering other measures to tackle this problem and protect young drivers."
However, due to Northern Ireland being separately governed in terms of transport and road rules, the state could still introduce licence restrictions.