Norfolk Police to crack down on young people committing ‘fatal four’ driving offences as 37% of serious collisions involve age group

Police say they are working to raise safety awareness with young drivers as figures show more than a third of serious crashes involved those in their age group.

Officers want to crack down on the ‘fatal four’ offences committed by those aged 16 to 29 after it was revealed that 37% of the county’s collisions, which seriously injured or killed someone, were found to involve this demographic.

Extra patrols to target speeding, using a phone while driving, not wearing a seatbelt and drink/drug driving will be in place and Norfolk Police hopes that by flagging these issues, it will be able to protect road users and reduce the number of people who come to harm.

Chief Inspector Vicky McParland, of the joint Roads and Armed Policing Team, said: “Getting your driving licence or riding a moped for the first time is really exciting - it is one of your first experiences of freedom and is something we all look forward to.

“It is critical that you start good habits from day one behind the wheel.

“Driving is a privilege, you are not invincible and failing.

“It is your responsibility to look after yourself, your passengers and other road users.

“I do not want my officers knocking on your loved one’s door, to tell them that you haven’t made it home safely.”

Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner Sarah Taylor added: “Living in a predominantly rural county means that having the ability to drive at a young age is very important for work and leisure and gives young people more independence.

“With that freedom comes the huge responsibility to consider other road users and to adhere to the law but as we all know, younger drivers don’t have the benefit of having the years of driving experience that is often needed to be able to preempt other people’s behaviour and taking action to avoid.

“This can be made even more difficult if that driver is distracted by their phone or driving too fast.

“We also know that less experienced drivers are in the process of developing safe driving habits and this campaign will help bring some focus to that too.

“I am hugely supportive of campaigns to raise awareness of the fatal four.

“It’s important that robust campaigns such as focussing on young people will deliver real change and, as PCC for Norfolk, I will continue to scrutinise these to ensure we create safer and stronger communities.”

A webinar on road safety for young people and parents will be taking place on Wednesday, September 25.

Those interested can sign up here.

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