Operation Spotlight: helping young drivers build experience safely
Passing your driving test is a huge milestone. It brings independence, freedom and new opportunities – but learning does not stop when the L-plates come off.
From 14 September to 4 October 2026, Operation Spotlight on Young Drivers is bringing national attention to young driver safety and to the practical steps that young people, passengers, parents and carers can take to reduce risk.
The three-week initiative is led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), working with the National Fire Chiefs’ Council, Protect Young Drivers and road safety data specialists Agilysis. It brings together police activity, education and public engagement, with a focus on reducing deaths and serious injuries involving young drivers.
imabi CIC is supporting the campaign by helping raise awareness of its messages and the practical resources available to young people and families.
Why does it matter?
New analysis of Department for Transport road casualty data shows that more than 23,000 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes involving a car driver aged 17–24 in Great Britain between 2021 and 2025.
Around 7,500 were the young drivers themselves, more than 4,000 were passengers in cars driven by young drivers, and more than 11,600 were other road users, including people in other vehicles and pedestrians.
The analysis also identifies particular patterns in the most serious collisions. Weekends, evenings and night-time driving present particular risks, while twice as many young drivers were involved in fatal collisions on rural roads as on urban roads. For further information and the latest national analysis, see the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Operation Spotlight update on young driver safety.
The first months of independent driving are an important period for building experience and judgement. Drivers may be encountering unfamiliar roads, conditions and situations without an instructor or experienced driver beside them for the first time.
Some situations need extra care
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Night-time driving can bring different challenges, including reduced visibility and tiredness. Newly qualified drivers can build up their experience gradually rather than feeling they need to tackle every type of journey straight away.
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The campaign data highlights rural roads as a particular area of risk for young drivers. Bends, narrow roads, limited visibility and changing conditions can all require careful judgement, so speed should always be appropriate for the road and what can be seen ahead.
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Carrying friends is part of the freedom that driving can bring, but passengers can also create distraction or pressure.
Passengers have a role to play too: allow the driver to concentrate, avoid encouraging risky driving and speak up if something does not feel safe.
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Young people should know that they always have another option if they feel uncomfortable with someone’s driving.
Parents and carers can make it clear that they can call home for a lift without worrying about getting into trouble, while families can also consider sharing lifts with other parents or carers after nights out or social events.
Knowing there is a safe alternative can make it easier to turn down a lift or leave a situation that does not feel right.
Parents and carers still have an important role
One of the central messages of Operation Spotlight is that parents and carers can continue to play an important role after a young person passes their test.
That could mean helping them gradually gain experience of night driving, rural roads and different weather conditions, talking openly about passengers and late-night driving, or simply continuing conversations about situations they encounter on the road.
As experience grows, independence can grow with it.
Start the conversation before it is needed
The charity IAM RoadSmart has developed a set of free, evidence-based resources for parents and guardians supporting learner and newly qualified drivers.
These include guidance on supervised practice and supporting new drivers, tools for tracking progress and a Parent/Young Driver Agreement that families can use to agree expectations and boundaries around vehicle use.
The agreement can provide a useful starting point for conversations about issues such as passengers, night-time driving and gradually increasing independence.
Explore IAM RoadSmart’s free young driver resources and Parent/Young Driver Agreement
You can also find information about the risks facing young and novice drivers, research and campaign resources from Protect Young Drivers.
Driving brings freedom and independence. Operation Spotlight is about helping young people build that independence safely – with the experience, support and confidence to make good decisions for themselves and for the people travelling with them.
