Part A
‘The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers’ (http://www.enginesofmischief.com/makers/evan/sigs/barry.html). This is particularly true for young drivers. Judging by their continuous cognitive, emotional, social and biological growth, young drivers are more prone to engage in impulsive behaviours which often can be unsafe. This is because young drivers lack adequate practical experience in driving which in turn contributes to their inability to steadily identify the conditions that are risky when driving. For instance, they tend to drive more commonly during night times and with multiple passengers. As such, such factors significantly add to the likelihood of accidents (Association of British insurers, 2012).
There is a wealth of research and official accident figures showing that young drivers -especially males- are at a considerably higher risk of being involved in a crash which will often involve life-changing injuries, than older drivers. Consequently, this has resulted in the continuing rise in the cost of insurance premiums for young drivers. Studies show that 17-24 year old drivers with less than 2 years of driving experience are more likely to make catastrophic claims of crashes that have severe consequences for the driver, the passengers and other road users (Association of British insurers, 2012). That said, unless something is done, records for poor safety driving, accidents, and rise in insurance costs for young drivers will only continue. Very recently, one of Britain’s largest motor insurance companies started offering a smart box known as the Telematics (Black Box) aimed at young drivers of ages 17-25, which provides them with the opportunity of reducing their insurance premiums on the basis