Young drivers and work-related road risk: why employers must act now

Young people aged 17–24 represent one of the highest‑risk groups on Britain’s roads. Although they make up only a small proportion of licence holders, they are disproportionately involved in fatal and serious collisions.

The government’s recently released Road Safety Strategy highlights that drivers in this age group account for 18 per cent of all people killed or seriously injured, despite representing just six per cent of licence holders. When young people drive for work, the risks increase further: work‑related travel accounts for around a third of all road fatalities, and employers have a legal and moral duty to manage this risk just as they would any other workplace hazard.

Recent experience from Electricity North West (ENWL), part of the Driving for Better Business community, shows both the scale of the challenge and the potential for dramatic improvement when employers intervene early and decisively.

Newly qualified drivers have not yet developed the judgement, hazard perception and decision‑making skills that come only with time behind the wheel. Photograph: iStock

Why young drivers are at higher risk

1. Inexperience and skill development
The government’s new Road Safety Strategy is clear: the elevated risk among young drivers is driven by a combination of youth and inexperience. Newly qualified drivers have not yet developed the judgement, hazard perception and decision‑making skills that come only with time behind the wheel. This is especially true in complex or demanding conditions such as night‑time driving, rural roads, or poor weather.

ENWL’s data reinforces this. Their young employees were averaging three collisions per month, with many incidents linked to distraction, night driving, and adverse weather – all areas where inexperienced drivers struggle most.

2. Cognitive development
Research shows that executive decision‑making continues to mature until around age 25. Young people can find it harder to regulate emotional responses, assess risk or maintain concentration over long periods. This is not a criticism – it’s biology. But it has real implications for employers who put young people behind the wheel of a company vehicle.

3. Over‑representation in serious collisions
Government data shows that young drivers, particularly young males, have the highest number of killed or seriously injured casualties, both as drivers and passengers. When this risk intersects with work‑related driving, the consequences can be severe for individuals, employers and the public.

Why employers must take this seriously

Driving for work is one of the highest‑risk activities an organisation can ask an employee to undertake. Employers have responsibilities under health and safety law to manage this risk, and the government is now signalling stronger expectations through its proposed National Work‑Related Road Safety Charter.

Young drivers need more support, more structure and more supervision – not because they are irresponsible, but because they are still developing the skills and judgement required for safe driving.

ENWL’s experience shows what happens when employers take this seriously: after targeted interventions, the company recorded zero young driver collisions for six months, a remarkable turnaround from the previous trend.

What employers can and should do

1. Provide structured, evidence‑based training
Employers have a pivotal role in shaping the safety of young drivers, and the most effective organisations recognise that this responsibility goes far beyond issuing a handbook or conducting an annual briefing. It begins with structured, evidence‑based training that acknowledges the specific risks young people face.

ENWL’s experience shows the value of this approach: by designing a course that combined practical guidance, behavioural science and powerful real‑world stories from Driving for Better Business and Brake, they created an environment where young drivers could understand not just what to do, but why it mattered. The sessions were deliberately supportive rather than punitive, helping young people reflect on their own habits and decision‑making without feeling judged. The impact was immediate and dramatic.

2. Build a supportive, not punitive, safety culture
This kind of training works best when it sits within a wider, positive safety culture. Young drivers respond to clarity, consistency and credibility, and they are far more likely to change their behaviour when safety messages are reinforced by leaders, line managers and peers. ENWL’s “concentrate, commit, comply” ethos is a good example of how a simple, memorable message can anchor a wider cultural shift. When safety becomes part of everyday conversation – in team briefings, in toolbox talks, in informal coaching – it stops being a compliance exercise and becomes part of how the organisation thinks and behaves.

3. Use data to identify risk early
Data also plays a crucial role. Modern telematics systems, incident reports and near‑miss logs give employers early visibility of emerging risks, allowing them to intervene before a pattern becomes a problem. ENWL’s investment in telematics across its fleet is a practical demonstration of how data can support safer behaviour, not through surveillance, but through insight. When used well, data helps managers tailor support, identify training needs, and track improvements over time.

4. Set clear rules around distraction
Clear rules around distraction are another essential component. Mobile phone use remains one of the most significant contributors to collisions involving young drivers, and employers must set unambiguous expectations. ENWL’s policy, requiring drivers to disconnect and return calls only when safely parked, strikes the right balance between operational need and safety. It removes ambiguity and reinforces the principle that no call is worth compromising concentration.

5. Provide structured supervision for new drivers
Finally, employers should recognise that newly qualified drivers need structured supervision and gradual exposure to risk. The Government’s consultation on a minimum learning period reflects a growing understanding that competence develops over time, not at the moment a test is passed. Employers can mirror this by limiting high‑risk journeys for new starters, pairing them with experienced colleagues, and integrating road safety into induction programmes. ENWL’s decision to embed young driver training into its apprenticeship and recruitment processes ensures that safe habits are formed from day one.

Embed road safety into induction and early employment

ENWL now delivers its young driver training to all new starters, either during apprenticeship programmes or recruitment. This ensures safe driving habits are established from day one.

Conclusion

Taken together, these measures demonstrate that employers can dramatically reduce risk when they take a proactive, thoughtful and evidence‑led approach. Young drivers don’t need stricter rules – they need guidance, support, and a culture that helps them grow into safe, confident professionals behind the wheel. Young drivers need employers who understand the risk – and act on it.

If you have graduates, apprentices or other young people driving for work, Jim Magner from Driving for Better Business and Alasdair Hayman-Start from Electricity North West, will be presenting a case study and discussion on Young and Novice Driver Safety at SHW Live in Manchester on Tuesday 10 February.

The session, starting at 11:05 in Theatre 1, will look at:

• Understanding the risk within the business
• The different training needs of young drivers
• Extending the programme to other novice drivers
• Practical steps to build a safe driving culture.

Register to attend at: safetyhealthwellbeing.live

Simon Turner is engagement manager at Driving for Better Business