Road warning to gap year travellers

Young Britons travelling during a gap year are at greater risk of being killed in a road crash than catching a tropical disease, according to motoring organisations.

The Make Roads Safe campaign and the RAC Foundation issued the warning as A-level results were released.

Official figures show that around 65% of all accidental deaths of UK tourists are caused by road crashes. The risk is even higher for young people and for male travellers.

Around 30,000 students each year formally defer their university place, joining some 200,000 young people between 18 and 25 who have taken time out to travel, volunteer or work abroad.

The RAC Foundation said that in the UK young people can be confident that most vehicles on the road are safe, most drivers have been properly tested and licensed, and if the worst happens, a highly-trained paramedic with the latest equipment can be called to rush them to hospital.

However, this safety net cannot be taken for granted when travelling in the developing world.

While the most popular destination for UK gap year travellers is Australia, which has a good road safety record, an increasing number of young people are choosing "edgier" destinations such as India, Kenya, Thailand, Cambodia and Brazil.

The Make Roads Safe campaign is being backed by band Dirty Pretty Things. Three teenage girls were killed in a road crash after returning from a concert by the band in Ipswich last month.

The band is supporting the campaign with a concert at The Coronet in Southwark, south London, on September 13.

Guitarist Anthony Rossomando said: "We need to do more to highlight the fact that 1.2 million people are needlessly killed on the roads around the world each year. This is why Dirty Pretty Things are supporting the Make Roads Safe campaign."