Young drivers face five times risk of death

YOUNG drivers are five times more likely to lose their lives on the roads than other motorists, according to research released ahead of radical changes to the licensing system to be announced this week.

A total of 1,284 road users aged between 17 and 24 have died on the roads in the past 11 years.

The figures released by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) come as three more people were killed in weekend crashes and just days after four young people lost their lives just outside Killarney in Co Kerry.