Organisation: Brake
Date of Publication: April 2026
Uploaded to Knowledge Centre: 16 April 2026
Every year in Britain, 4,740 people are killed or seriously injured in a crash involving a young driver aged 17–24. Evidence from other countries supports a stronger licensing system to help prevent these crashes and save lives. But what does stronger licensing mean? And is Britain ready for change?
In this report Brake explores what people think about the driver licensing system. It wanted to find out whether people support stronger licensing to help young, newly qualified drivers gain skills and experience gradually, while protecting against some of the biggest risks like driving at night or with same-age passengers.
Brake commissioned market research company OnePoll to conduct an online survey among 3,000 UK adults in July 2025. The respondents were nationally representative of the general population across age, gender and region.
Key findings:
- 35% of people have been in a crash involving a young driver, or know someone who has
- 54% of 18- to 24-year-olds have been in a crash involving a young driver, or know someone who has
- 77% support a stronger driver licensing system in Britain
- 72% think strengthening the driver licensing system is essential to save lives
- 89% agree that all road users should be protected from known risks
- 68% want their MP to do more to reduce the risk of crashes involving young drivers.
The report hits home that this isn’t something that just happens to other people. More than a third (35%) of respondents told us they have been in a road collision involving a vehicle driven by a young driver, or know someone who has. That number increases to a staggering 54% among 18- to 24-year-olds.
Click the link below to read the full report:
https://www.brake.org.uk/how-we-help/reports/young-driver-safety-report