The parents' campaign for safe driving tuition

Some facts about newly-qualified young drivers

1 in 3 accidents involve men under the age of 20

• Young males pass the present driving test more easily than others. The present test is one of lower level skills rather than judgement and attitude.
• Passengers with young novice drivers also run a higher risk of being in a serious accident.
• Increasing the number of young passengers increases the likelihood of a crash. One passenger makes it twice as likely, 2 or more, 5 times as likely.
• The accident rate to novice drivers drops by 30% after the first year of experience and by another 17% after the second year.
• Research into hazard perception clearly shows that inexperienced drivers ca be up to 2 seconds slower in recognising possible dangers compared with experienced drivers.
• In an accident a male driver aged 17-20 is 9 times more likely to be at fault than a driver aged31-40with the same length of experience.
• For every mile driven, a 17 year-old male is 7 times more likely to be involved in an accident than a middle-aged man.
• Young drivers, particularly males, consistently over-estimate their own driving ability. They believe others will have crashes in risky situations, but that they are personally too skilled to lose control of the car.
• Young novices state that their driving is adversely affected by the presence of their peers and improves when accompanied by parents or mature adults.
• Young drivers make more journeys at night and have more accidents at that time of day.
• Risk-taking including fast driving is more common among young drivers.
• Unsafe drivers are more likely to take risks in everyday life and to have difficulties with authority in other situations including, school, parents and Police.
• The less seriously they view traffic violations and general deviant behaviour, the more likely they are to have crashes.
• Unsafe drivers do not think ahead.
• Mile for mile, young drivers are 3 times as likely to have an active versus a passive accident.
• Driving instructors who judge a learner as unsafe are good predictors of later crashes. Predicting ability to pass the test quickly does not relate to later safe or unsafe driving.
• The accident rate of young females is increasing. This is probably in line with an increase in their general assertiveness.

Sources

THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT

THE AA FOUNDATION REPORT ON YOUNG DRIVERS 1991

THE AA FOUNDATION REPORT - SAFE AND UNSAFE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF YOUNGER MALE DRIVERS: 1992

THE ROAD TRANSPORT LABORATORY COHORT STUDY: PART 2 & 3 1992/97

ROAD SAFETY RESEARCH SERIES NO. 2 NOVICE DRIVERS' SAFETY: 2000

NEW DRIVER SAFETY: 1993

ACCIDENT LIABILITY OF NOVICE DRIVERS: TRL REPORT 295 1998

CARRYING PASSENGERS AS A RISK FACTOR - JAMA 2000