Younger drivers should be legally obliged to practice for one year before gaining their licence, car insurance experts have claimed.
Using Sweden's driving laws as an example, ABI spokesperson Malcolm Tarling said that the introduction of a one-year rule would bring the UK into line with similar regulations enforced across Europe.
Mr Tarling said: "The overall aim [of such a policy] is to reduce the number of young newly qualified motorists and their passengers that die or are seriously injured on the road…The key thing is to ensure that young drivers, once they have passed their tests, are better equipped to be in control of a potentially lethal weapon."
Given that young drivers are involved in a proportionally higher rate of car accidents, the new rule, should it be adopted, would have a beneficial impact on car insurance premiums.
The potential car insurance benefits are certainly not lost on the ABI. "If we aim to bring accident rates down, it can actually become reflected in premiums," Mr Tarling added. "The main reason young drivers pay high premiums is because they are much more likely to be involved in an accident and therefore, much more likely to be involved in a claim."
The ABI's comments come in the wake of research from the House of Commons Transport Committee last month, which said that the adoption of a one-year policy would cut the road accident rate overall.
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