Many young drivers are prioritising things like gadgets ahead of safety and do not even consider the latter when it comes to buying a new car, according to a recent survey.
A survey that asked drivers about their car buying priorities was conducted jointly by the road safety charity Brake and insurance specialists Direct Line. Among the findings, only 37 per cent of the respondents aged between 17 and 24 said safety was something they thought about when buying a car. For older drivers, that increases to 48 per cent.
17 per cent of young drivers said that the infotainment system was the most decisive point when picking a new car.
A wide spread ignorance of safety standards and the Euro NCAP safety body was also discovered in the survey. Only 23 per cent of young drivers among the respondents knew about Euro NCAP.
In reaction to the survey findings, both Brake and Direct Line have encouraged drivers to embrace driving safety technology as much as possible.
The deputy chief executive of Brake, Julie Townsend, commented: “Vehicle safety technology has come on leaps and bounds, and a large part of the casualty reductions we have seen in recent decades are likely to be attributable to this. It is important that all drivers take advantage of these advances as much as possible, to protect both themselves and the people around them on foot and bike.”
The director of motor at Direct Line, Gus Park, said: “Our research shows that younger drivers are most at risk of a crash; however less than half this group chose safety in the top three considerations when buying a car. New cars are now more likely to be fitted with ‘infotainment’ systems, so we'd urge drivers to be sensible. As with mobile phones, a moment of distraction could potentially costs lives.”
