An initiative could help to make newly-qualified drivers safer and cut their motor insurance premiums.

As you take to the road for the first time as a younger motorist you may like to back-up your skills by taking part in an assessment designed to cut the chances of you making an insurance claim following your driving test. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has put together a new scheme that aims to reduce road fatalities involving younger car users. It is asking newly-qualified drivers aged from 17 to 24-years old to come forward and take part in its Young Drivers Assessments.

The sessions are designed to examine the driving skills of this age group, as they are more often associated with collisions. Some 300 recently qualified motorists lose their lives every year when they take to the road. In addition, further figures from the organisation reveal that 20 per cent of this age group make insurance claims within 12 months of getting their full driving licences.

As many young drivers are aware, insurance companies base their policy prices on risk and the more danger a motorist poses the higher their premiums. Accidents can significantly inflate the price of insurance for new drivers who already pay some of the top amounts for their policies. Making a claim can also cancel out any no-claims bonuses built up since passing your test, which can further increase your car outgoings.

This could be avoided if you were to take part in the evaluations, which are carried out by the association’s assessors, who all hold Police Advanced Driver Qualifications. Each of the assessments lasts an hour and can help show up any driving behaviours that could pose a safety risk to motorists and other road users.

An ideal time to book a session with the group is approximately six to nine months from when you became a qualified driver. The group points out that this is the time when bad driving habits may start to appear in new drivers and the sessions can hopefully prevent poor motoring techniques from taking hold. Young motorists thinking of taking part in the sessions are reassured that if bad habits are pointed out during their assessments their licences are safe.

Rick Wood, RoSPA’s head of training at the driver and fleet solutions team, said the project aims to make younger drivers safer motorists. “I’m confident that the assessment will help young motorists to identify weak areas in their driving,” he said.

Once drivers have taken part in the hour-long evaluations they are presented with an assessor’s report, which offers a professional opinion on their motoring skills.