Each weekend, 76 young male drivers are killed or seriously injured while driving between 23:00 and 01:00, ABI motor manager Justin Jacobs told a road safety conference.

That means three times as many people as the number who would ordinarily be killed or seriously injured suffer injury just at the time when pubs and clubs are closing.

Part of the reason could be that young people driving so late carry groups of friends with them.

It often seems tempting for young people to designate a driver and be free to drink themselves.

But “a young driver with three or more passengers is three times as likely to be involved in a serious road accident”, Mr Jacobs explained.

He called for a government information campaign to make young drivers aware of the dangers of driving at night with hordes of friends in tow.

And although he did not impugn the responsible attitude of the drivers concerned, he praised insurers who already offer lower premiums to young drivers who can commit to only driving during the day.

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