Young drivers and serious crashes in Northern Ireland: what the official figures show

Updated 21 September 2026. Northern Ireland's latest road-safety statistics show that young and newly qualified drivers remain disproportionately represented in serious-collision data — but the figures need to be read carefully.

In 2025, 227 people aged 16 to 24 were killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions. Separately, 280 KSI casualties resulted from collisions involving drivers under 25. Those two figures measure different things: one is the age of the casualty; the other identifies whether a driver under 25 was involved in the collision.

Latest 2025 figures for young people and under-25 drivers

DfI also reports that 35% of the novice-driver collisions counted in the 2023-2025 measure involved a driver who was within the first six months after passing the driving test.

Young casualties and young-driver involvement are not the same statistic

A 20-year-old passenger seriously injured in a collision driven by a 45-year-old contributes to the 16–24 casualty figure but not necessarily to a young-driver involvement measure. Likewise, an older passenger injured in a car driven by a 22-year-old can contribute to the under-25 driver-involvement figure without being a young casualty.

Keeping those definitions separate prevents double counting and stops the data being simplified into claims it does not support.

What does the dedicated young-driver report show?

DfI's Graduated Driver Licensing Monitoring Report 2024 provides a more focused look at drivers aged 17 to 23. In 2024:

• drivers aged 17 to 23 were recorded as responsible for 24% of fatal or serious collisions;
• the same age group accounted for 8% of car driving licence holders;
• 251 KSI casualties resulted from collisions involving a car driver aged 17 to 23;
• 164 KSI casualties resulted from collisions where a car driver aged 17 to 23 was recorded as responsible; and
• 58 car passengers were killed or seriously injured while travelling with a 17–23-year-old driver, of whom 76% were aged 14–20.

The 24% versus 8% comparison is one of the clearest indicators of over-representation in the official dataset. It does not mean 24% of every collision is “caused by young drivers”; the measure is specifically fatal or serious collisions in 2024 and uses the report's responsibility assessment.

Rural roads are an important part of the pattern

Across 2020-2024, the GDL monitoring report says a car driver aged 17 to 23 was involved in an annual average of 142 of 476 rural-road KSI casualties, or 30%.

For urban-road KSI casualties, the corresponding average was 51 of 359, or 14%. Young-driver involvement was therefore proportionally higher in the rural-road KSI data.

That does not mean a rural road is automatically unsafe for a young driver. It shows where serious-collision exposure has been concentrated across the five-year dataset.

The first six months after passing stand out

DfI's 2025 road-safety strategy statistics examine novice drivers — defined for this measure as within two years of passing the driving test. Across 2023-2025, collisions involving novice drivers resulted in an average of 140 KSI casualties each year.

The largest share, 35%, involved a driver within six months of passing. This is why road-safety policy focuses not only on age, but also on driving experience.

Why the data should not be used to stereotype individual drivers

Population-level over-representation does not tell you whether a specific 18-, 20- or 23-year-old is a safe driver. Individual risk varies with experience, speed, distraction, impairment, seat-belt use, road type, time of travel, passengers, weather and many other factors.

The correct conclusion is that young and novice drivers are a priority group for road-safety intervention. It is not that every young driver should be treated as irresponsible.

How does this fit with Northern Ireland's overall casualty picture?

Northern Ireland recorded 56 road deaths and 1,066 serious injuries in 2025. There were 1,122 killed or seriously injured casualties overall. The 227 KSI casualties aged 16–24 therefore represented just over one fifth of all KSI casualties.

Because age groups differ in population size and travel exposure, the raw share should be interpreted alongside the more targeted driver-licence and involvement measures from the GDL monitoring report.

Frequently asked questions

How many young people were killed or seriously injured on NI roads in 2025?

227 people aged 16 to 24.

How many serious casualties came from collisions involving drivers under 25?

280 KSI casualties in 2025.

Are young drivers over-represented in serious collisions?

DfI's 2024 monitoring report says drivers aged 17–23 were recorded as responsible for 24% of fatal or serious collisions while accounting for 8% of car driving licence holders.

When are novice drivers at greatest recorded risk?

In the 2023-2025 novice-driver measure, 35% of the relevant collisions involved a driver within six months of passing the test.

Does the data prove all young drivers are unsafe?

No. It shows group-level over-representation in serious-collision statistics, not the behaviour or competence of an individual driver.

Sources and methodology

This article uses the 2025 Northern Ireland Road Safety Strategy annual statistics and DfI's Graduated Driver Licensing Monitoring Report 2024. Figures referring to casualty age, driver involvement, recorded responsibility and novice-driver experience are kept distinct because they answer different questions.