Drivers in 20s and not teens `worst behaved`

Melbourne - While teenagers are often painted as the worst drivers, statistics have shown that open licence holders in their 20s are most likely to speed, drink-drive and use mobile phones at the wheel.

According to Transport and Main Roads, in the past year one in three drivers aged 21-29 was booked for speeding, compared with just over a quarter of 30 to 39-year-olds.

Of the teen drivers, fewer than one in five were caught exceeding the limit last year, below the state average for all licence holders of 21 percent.

The 20-somethings also had the worst drink-driving rate, racking up more than 9000 offences in 2011, almost 2500 more than 30s drivers, and three times as many as those aged 17 to 20.

Drivers aged 17 to 24 still represent the most at-risk group on our roads, with 57 fatalities in the past year and 92 young drivers involved in fatal crashes.

Professor Barry Watson from the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety Queensland said the poor performance of 20-something drivers was not that surprising.

“There are two things that spring to mind. People tend to drive as they live, and we know that that group is leading quite busy lives, and they have grown up using mobile phones,” the Courier Mail quoted Prof Watson as saying.

“Another factor is when young drivers are on their provisional licences they have quite a few constraints on their behaviour, but these are relaxed when they move to opens,” he added.