Driver puts passengers at risk by speeding

Car driving in the rain on country road

A young driver travelling along the notorious Standing Stane Road in Fife put himself and three teenage passengers in danger when he lost control of the car – all because he was speeding.

At the time, the driver had been trying to overtake another car on the road, in an attempt to impress the young women passengers in the car.

However, it had been raining that day and the road was slippery. The driver didn’t take this into account and attempted to overtake another vehicle at speed.

As a result of going too fast for road conditions, the car spun and flipped on its roof before hitting a tree.

Luckily, there was no other vehicles involved in the crash and the passengers were able to walk away and were not seriously injured.

Young driver more likely to speed

At Digby Brown, we see this story too often but not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to walk away with relatively minor injuries. We represented a young school pupil after she was left with a severe brain injury because she had been struck by a speeding driver in Edinburgh.

Sadly, statistics tells us that young drivers aged 17-24 are more likely to be involved in a road traffic accident in Scotland and they are more at risk of fatal and serious injuries when carrying young passengers than when driving alone.

Excessive or inappropriate speed is the key contributory factor in road traffic crashes involving young drivers.

Why are young drivers more at risk?

Research tells us that this is partly due to their age and inexperience. They are more likely to be over confident and take risks such as speeding as they don’t fully appreciate the dangers.

Coupled with the fact they are also less likely to spot hazards, it is a dangerous combination.

Brake Road Safety Week

Every November, Brake runs Road Safety Week, the UK's largest road safety event.

This year, Brake aim to highlight the dangers of speeding and are asking drivers across the country to commit to reducing their speed, not only to keep in line with speed limits but also road conditions.

Digby Brown have been supporters of Brake for a number of years. We support the Brake helpline in Scotland and Digby Brown Partner Fraser Simpson volunteers as Brake’s media Spokesperson in Scotland.

Road Safety Week 2017 takes place this week from Monday 20th November to Sunday 26th November.