KEY POINTS:
Most young male drivers overrate themselves behind the wheel and have a much higher chance of a fatal accident after drinking alcohol, research shows.
A study published in the British Journal of Psychology by Auckland University community psychologist Dr Nikki Harre, showed nearly three-quarters of young men rated themselves as better drivers than their peers.
Many had a "tendency to overrate their driving skills".
"Most of the rest said they were as skilled as their peers, so there's a small percentage who admit to being less skilled," said Dr Harre.
"The young women in the study were much less likely than men to think they had better driving skills than others."
Associate Professor Shanthi Ameratunga, who is based at the School of Population Health at Auckland University, said young men, aged between 15 and 24, accounted for a third of those killed on the roads.
Professor Ameratunga said last year's road toll of 387 was an improvement on previous decades.
"But [it's] a far cry from the much lower rates of road deaths in Australia - particularly the state of Victoria, the United Kingdom and Scandinavian countries."
Ben Lewis Evans, a Ministry of Transport researcher and human factors scientist, said drivers with restricted licences were far more likely to have accidents than those on learner licences.
"There's a five to seven-fold increase in crashes as drivers move from the last month of their learner licence to the first month of their restricted licence."
Alcohol also presented a huge risk factor for youth. A 15 to 19-year-old with a blood alcohol level of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood was 86.6 times to have a fatal crash than a sober 30-year-old.
