Sydney, December 23: Statistics suggest that young male drivers have been the biggest obstacle to reducing annual deaths caused in road accidents in Australia, despite years of public safety campaigns costing millions of dollars.

Even mandatory seat belt legislation, random breath-testing, and the proliferation of red-light and speed cameras have failed to dissuade young men from fishtailing their way across columns of traffic.

Most of these men are between 18 to 25 years of age, according to official data.

Barely 10 per cent of the young men are said to be having driving license. The data also reveal that they have accounted for nearly 22 per cent of driver fatalities so far in this year, a figure that has remained a constant throughout the decade.

By comparison, women aged 50 to 59 represent just two per cent of the carnage.

Last year, 63 people died in road accidents over the Christmas-new year period across Australia.

David Healy, the Transport Accident Commission's general manager of road safety, says that the bad driving record of some young adult men is perhaps associated with some anti-social behaviour. He adds that recklessness on the road possibly "a manifestation of a broader risk-taking lifestyle".

"And that's where police can look at the issue of vehicle impoundment. Certainly impoundment is attractive for the very reason that for some of these people, particularly those who are involved in drag-racing and the like, they are very attached to their vehicles. Separating the driver from their vehicle can be a very significant step, " theage.com.au quoted him as saying.

In the 18-months since police have got the authority to impound cars of drivers who use their vehicles for stunts or excessive speed, over 3300 cars have been confiscated.

Ninety per cent of those caught have been men, 70 per cent of whom were aged 18 to 25, show statistics. (ANI)