The magnitude

In most countries, novice drivers under the age of 25 account for the largest share of traffic crashes and fatalities. As a share of all driver fatalities within the EU, the proportion of fatalities for young drivers ranges from 18 % in Denmark to 32% in Germany. In contrast, the share of this age group in the total population ranges from 8% in Denmark to 13% in Ireland. Moreover, according to the IRTAD data, traffic crashes are the single greatest killer of those aged 15 to 24 in OECD countries, accounting for 35% of all deaths, or approximately 25,000 people annually in recent years, as is presented in Figure 1.

Figure 1: The proportional distribution of causes of death in OECD countries for different age groups.
Source: World Health Organization Mortality Database