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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Neil Shaw

Giving parents access to dashcams could cut accidents in half

Crash rates among young drivers could be cut if in-car footage is shared with parents, new research suggests.

Adults often foot the bill to get their children on the road and can use technology to have a permanent presence in cars, according to a study commissioned by the RAC Foundation.

The report was led by Dr Bruce Simons-Morton from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Maryland, US.

He cited evidence showing combined use of dashcams and devices that record erratic acceleration can reduce bad driving by young people if they know the evidence will be shared with their parents.

Commercial fleet operators already use such devices to monitor driving behaviour.

A quarter (25%) of people killed or seriously injured on Britain's roads between 2013 and 2015 were in crashes that involved a younger driver (17-24 years old), even though this group accounted for only 7% of full driving licence holders.

The report notes novice drivers are particularly at risk of being distracted by mobile phones or the presence of young passengers in their car.

It also states international evidence underlines the benefits of graduated licence systems, which can involve a minimum learning period, not driving at night and not driving with passengers under a certain age.

Ministers pledged to explore the use of such policies in England under proposals published in July.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: "This report doesn't suggest that dashcam footage replaces Strictly or The Voice as regular Saturday night family viewing but it does argue that greater parental appreciation of what their children get up behind the wheel can be beneficial.

"Whilst teenagers may baulk at the idea of mum and dad effectively supervising their every trip, a constant parental presence, delivered through technology, has been shown to moderate risky behaviour behind the wheel.

"Every parent of a young driver wants their child to drive safely without having to be in the car themselves but through black box telematics and dashcam technology, virtual supervision can have a big impact."

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