The number of fatal car accidents caused by learner drivers is significantly lower than previously thought, after a latest report found that the proportion of learner drivers involved in accidents is much lower than the proportion of learners on the road.
According to RTÉ’s Prime Time programme the latest figures complied by the RSA has found that the number of fatal car accidents caused by learner drivers in last four years was far less than previous years, although the number of those accidents which were caused by unaccompanied drivers was still high and described as unacceptable by the RSA’s chief executive Moyagh Murdoch.
The detailed report comes as the Government are set to review plans that will see all owners of cars being punished if they let a learner driver use them unaccompanied.
According to RTÉ Prime Time, the RSA’s report revealed that almost 9% of all drivers in Ireland currently hold a learner permit, however the number of fatal accidents in Ireland over the past four years, 5.8% of those were caused by a learner driver.
The report did however find that on average 12 fatal accidents a year are caused by learner drivers and of those 12 accidents 10 of the drivers are unaccompanied.