Leading Article: Britain's young drivers with a licence to kill

THE annual running of bulls through Pamplona appals those concerned for the safety of onlookers. Yet every year Britain allows thousands of young drivers on to the roads without even testing them on the basics. An 'L' plate on the bumpers and a qualified driver in the passenger seat is enough for them to gain freedom of the highways. Once they pass their tests, there is nothing to warn other drivers or pedestrians of the threat - mainly from testosterone-high boy racers - posed to life and limb. The statistics tell the grim story: more than 1,000 people die each year in road accidents involving at least one driver who is aged between 17 and 21. This represents more than a quarter of all deaths in car accidents.

John MacGregor, Secretary of State for Transport, yesterday mapped out a way of creating safer roads. His consultation paper suggests possibilities ranging from compulsory retesting for new drivers convicted of motoring offences to the introduction of road safety lessons in schools. Newly qualified drivers who undertake additional training could be offered lower insurance. Mr MacGregor is also considering an increase from 17 to 18 in the qualifying age for a full licence. Drivers who have just passed their test might have to display 'P' (for probationary) plates.

This sounds progressive, but will it put the brakes on the worst drivers, who are predominantly young? The first glaring flaw is that these proposals still allow learners on to the roads with no more proven knowledge than a child in a dodgem car. Surely, a theoretical test must be made compulsory, as elsewhere in Europe, before even a provisional licence is issued?

Second, the proposals need to go further in controlling new drivers. The Government should examine carefully whether 'P' plates could carry the requirement to stay within a certain speed limit. There is evidence from Northern Ireland that such limits reduce accidents, although the death rate rises once drivers have completed their probationary phase. Another possibility would be to penalise new drivers by lowering the threshold of points at which they lose their licences.

Punitive policies are unlikely on their own to persuade young drivers, particularly young men, to throttle back. Nor is greater knowledge of the Highway Code going to turn them from tearaways into model citizens. The key to change will be achieving the difficult task of changing attitudes to speeding. Here lessons can be learned from HIV health education publicity and campaigns against drinking and driving. If young people can be persuaded to steer their sexual urges more safely, perhaps they can also appreciate the dangers of driving with naked aggression.

One way to help new drivers understand the realities of driving a machine that can so easily kill is to show them some evidence: a few horror films portraying the deaths and injuries to contemporaries accompanied by words of advice from peers who ignored the warnings. Virtual reality games also make it possible to simulate how easy it is to crash a car.

These are just suggestions, but they identify the key issue, which is attitudes. Young people often lack a sense of mortality. If they are to drive cars, they must gain that sense in a safe environment, before it is too late.