Third of young drivers don't know what to do after a crash

A third of young drivers aren’t prepared to deal with a crash situation, according to new research.

17 to 24 year olds feel that their driving lessons leave them inadequately prepared to deal with any scale of crash situation suggests insurer Ingenie.

This unpreparedness means that many young drivers fail to acquire the other involved parties details, often admit liability when they may not necessarily have been to blame and delay reporting incidents, sometimes for over a week, leaving some young drivers unfairly penalised.

The new research found that only 14% of those that had been involved in a crash, felt prepared they knew how to deal with the situation.

71% said that they forgot the basic steps of how to deal with a crash, leaving their vehicle’s engine running and only 23% successfully remembering to put on their hazard warning lights.

Almost three quarters, 74%, of those involved in a crash, failed to acquire the other involved party’s contact details, 82% did not acquire witness information, which is crucial for insurance claims and 71% forgot to note the registration numbers of other vehicles involved.

10% of young drivers forgot to give their own details before leaving the crash scene, due to being too shaken or upset by the incident and an additional 6% of young drivers panicked and just drove off.

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As a driver, you are obliged to stop prior to a crash if anyone else - or an animal, is injured, or if there’s any subsequent damage to property, vehicles or street furniture.

91% of young drivers involved in crashes, reported feelings of emotional distress, showing that young drivers react worse to crashes than older drivers of which 40% experiencing similar post-crash feelings.

A third of these young drivers said that they were apprehensive about getting back in the car, 20% were resultantly nervous and hesitant to drive on their own again and 21% were completely put off driving.

21% of the young drivers involved in crashes claimed to, when it may not actually have been their fault, admitted liability for the crash they were involved in.

15% said that they did not have enough information about other involved parties, for their claims to be properly investigated.

There is an obligation for drivers to report, as soon as possible, any crashes that they’ve been involved in, to their insurers. Ingenie’s data shows that 23% of young people report them immediately, however, 24% wait until the next-day and 22%, over a fifth of young drivers, wait seven days or more before reporting their crash.

The economic cost of a crash can be substantial to drivers, and this could be one of their reasons for delaying reporting it, as, an average of £450 No Claims Discount is missed out on by young drivers involved in collisions, when they next renew their insurance, as well as their having to pay excess payments of, on average, £650.

To help Ingenie have launched a guide for young drivers www.ingenie.com/crash-guide, (also available as a smartphone app) providing an online checklist for crash situations.

The founder and CEO of Ingenie, Richard King, said about this new online tool: “Being involved in a crash is stressful for anyone, but for younger drivers who might lack driving experience and confidence, it can be confusing and scary. When panic sets in, many simply blank on the details and make mistakes that could cost them if they need to make a claim. This new tool will help drivers keep cool and collect all the information they need to make a claim.”

Third of young drivers don't know what to do after a crash

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