Brussels, 06/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - Young people, and especially young men, are among the groups facing the highest risks of death on the road. The latest figures gathered by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) for its performance index (PIN) reveal that young people aged 15 to 30 make up 30% of the total number of road deaths, while representing only 20% of the population of the EU. Almost 10,000 young people lost their lives on European roads in 2010. Mortality of young people - number of deaths divided by population - is 69% higher than the corresponding figure for people of all other ages. Males make up 81% of the number of young people killed on EU roads.
These figures have caused ETSC Executive Director Antonio Avenoso to urge member states to make young people a priority in their road safety policies. This is the case in Sweden and the Netherlands which have the safest roads for young people, and which have introduced a number of measures aimed specifically at the young. These measures include tighter blood alcohol limits, stricter demerit points systems or provision for accompanied driving while gaining experience. Avenoso totally opposes any reduction in the minimum driving age when member states transpose the EU driving licence directive into national law. (MD/transl.rt)