1 in 5 new drivers crash within a year of passing their test

Richard Aucock, Contributor
Tue, 03 Jun 2025

Almost 1 in 5 drivers admit to being involved in an accident within a year of passing their test, new research has revealed.

Of those, 24% said they actually had two or more accidents during their first 12 months on the road.

The Green Insurer, which carried out the research, says this raises fresh concerns around the risks faced by inexperienced motorists.

Indeed, the research showed growing support for a ‘graduated driving licence’. This would prohibit new drivers aged under 25 from carrying passengers of the same age group during the first six months of passing their test.

While almost three in five motorists overall would support the introduction of a graduated driving licence, support is divided among age groups. Nearly three-quarters of motorists aged over 65 are in support – with just 30% of under-25s backing the idea.

"Our findings would appear to support the fact that the first year behind the wheel is often the riskiest for new drivers," says The Green Insurer CEO Paul Baxter.

"Gaining a driving licence is an important part of growing up and gaining independence, especially for young people living in rural areas or in places with poor public transport.

There is a delicate balance to be reached in the early years of driving. But ultimately, the safety of our young people has to come first."

Baxter acknowledged the understandable opposition from younger drivers to the restrictions that a graduated driving licence would entail, but says the wider public appears to be increasingly in favour of the introduction of additional measures that could see a reduction in the risks associated with inexperienced motorists.

He also points out that many newly-qualified drivers may have had only a few hours of driving with a driving instructor before they passed their test.

Younger drivers are disproportionately represented in road traffic accidents. Figures show young male car drivers aged 17-24 are four times as likely to be killed or seriously injured compared with all car drivers aged 25 or over.

Ask HJ

Why is my son at fault for an accident when the other driver accepted responsibility?

My (then) 17 year old son was involved in an accident while leaving the M6 for the M5. Essentially, as he was moving left, he hit another car which was driving on the hard shoulder. At the time the other driver admitted responsibility, but of course this changed. My son's insurer contacted him months later asking if he would be willing to accept joint responsibility, which he agreed to. Now, nearly a year after the incident, they are asking if he will accept full responsibility, as the other insurers are contesting it. There were no witnesses, and no footage of the incident. His insurance is up for renewal, and his insurers are basing his quote on his being at fault (he did accept joint responsibility). My question is, when getting quotes from other companies, does he need to put down that he was at fault, or not?

If he’s accepted fault in any way - whether jointly or not - then he’ll need to declare this to his insurer. It’s likely that the cost of his car insurance could increase at renewal, but he shouldn’t panic, there are insurers out there which will cover drivers under these circumstances. The best thing to do is shop around and compare prices and don’t forget that prices should come back down once he has more opportunity to build his no-claims bonus.

Answered by Louise Thomas

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