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forum
Young drivers pose a risk...
From the IAM...
Young drivers not learning to avoid crashes with vulnerable road users quick enough - IAM RoadSmart report finds
FOR
IMMEDATE RELEASE: 10 JANUARY 2018
A
new report by the UK’s leading road safety charity IAM RoadSmart and TRL into
crashes involving young drivers has concluded that they need to learn quicker
how to avoid crashes with the most vulnerable users on our roads.
The
report found that while they learn much quicker than expected to avoid single
vehicle loss of control collisions, they learn a lot slower how to deal with
vulnerable road users, be safe on the motorway and safely complete low speed
manoeuvres.
IAM
RoadSmart said these findings proved a surprise, as the classic young driver
crash usually involves going too fast on a country road. It would seem that new
drivers themselves soon pick up the skills to stay safe on our highest risk
roads.
The
report, titled Young
Novice Driver Collision Types , makes several key recommendations to improve new
driver training particularly in hazard perception around vulnerable road users
and around other vehicles.
The
report underlines the critical importance of gaining driving experience in a
wide variety of traffic situations. In their first year on the road experts
suggest an average 17-year-old driver can expect their risk of being involved
in a crash to reduce by 36% as a result of driving experience, but only by 6%
owing to ageing and maturity.
This
report set out to try and identify which aspects of driving are learned
quickest and which take more time. Targeting those skills that they struggle to
take in could bring the largest benefits to road safety for new drivers.
Some
positive news is that analysis of collision trends suggests a substantial
reduction in crashes overall for the two youngest age groups between 2002 and
2015. The accident rate for 17-20 year old car drivers reduced by 49% in this
time, while the rate for 21-29 year olds reduced by 33%.
Existing
research found the following factors led to a higher rate of crashes amongst
younger people:
·Inexperience and poor judgement in more
difficult driving conditions (poor weather, poor visibility, minor rural roads)
·Inadequate control of the car (single
vehicle accidents, skidding, overturning, leaving the road)
·Lifestyle factors (social driving
particularly at night and at weekends, when factors such as alcohol and peer
pressure affect where and how young people drive)
·Economic factors which result in young
drivers being more likely to have cheaper older cars which offer them less
protection from injury than newer cars would do
The
report also concluded:
·Travel behaviour has changed with 17-20
year olds driving less and walking or cycling more
·Those aged 21-29 years travel further
than 17-20 year olds each year, with largely employment related journeys
·The collision rate for drivers aged
17-20 years declined more quickly than the rate for 21-29 year olds between 2002
and 2015
·Compared with the overall rate of
learning, young drivers learn more quickly to avoid crashes involving a single
vehicle, loss of control, on a B roads, at night or where the vehicle leaves
the carriageway
·Possibly related to these crash types,
young drivers also learn more rapidly to avoid contributory factors such as
speeding, driving too fast for the conditions, swerving, loss of control,
inexperienced and anxious
·The trend for crashes on motorways is
unique and initially increases before demonstrating
a possible delayed learning curve. Results also suggest that learning to safely
use slip roads take longer than the general learning rate
·New drivers also appear to be slow at
learning to avoid collisions in certain conflict scenarios in slow manoeuvring
situations and with vulnerable road users. This might be indicative of poor
hazard perception skills
And
it recommended the following actions:
·Further research to understand why
novice drivers are involved in and learn quickly to avoid single vehicle loss
of control type crashes. This can inform the development of targeted
interventions and possible training.
·Consider options for reducing young
driver crashes at night (e.g. additional experience gained during the learner
phase)
·The government’s plans to allow
learners on motorways are fully justified by the report as it is clear new
drivers are likely to benefit from practice on motorways. .
·Explore the role that advanced hazard
perception training might offer in reducing the threat young drivers pose to
Vulnerable Road Users.
·Explore the apparent trend of young
drivers’ vehicles being more likely to be hit from the rear. There may be
practical, hazard perception or anticipation training that could be of benefit.
Sarah
Sillars, IAM RoadSmart Chief Executive Officer, said: “It is really useful to
learn more about how young drivers are gaining the experience they need to have
a safe driving career.
“However,
analysing the results, it is vital that government, road safety bodies and the
driver instruction industry work together to generate new strategies to target
those skills that are not being learned at the fastest rate.
“It
also shows that in the formative years of driving, there is clearly a need for
post-test training to continue, to build experience that can reduce the number
of needless tragedies on our roads.”
For
more information about IAM RoadSmart’s bite-size modules click here: https://www.iamroadsmart.com/on-road-offer
And
for more information about the advanced driver course click here: https://www.iamroadsmart.com/courses/advanced-driver-course-
Link to picture: https://dmscdn.vuelio.co.uk/publicitem/fa8b1140-1bbf-4e68-8ad3-bc3c85897507
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20 comments
Older drivers tend to be ivolved in incidents less than younger drivers because others are avoiding them/countering for their mistakes, they drive fewer miles and drive at off peak times.
The stats use driving license holders and then divide by number of incidents except the vast majority of older drivers over 75 don't drive at all or drive fewer miles, even the 65-75 age range don't tend to drive at peak times which makes a huge difference in incident stats hence why you are automatically a greater risk if you drive at certain hours/are a daily commuter.
Everyone should be trained to a far higher std ad the government are culpable in allowing the mickey poor std of driver and the deaths and serious injuries that follow because of such.
...natural selection has taken care of the stupid ones while they were young...
Sadly, that's probably got some truth to it.
5 of my peers from my year at school didn't get to see the end of college... It's still strange to drive past the tree where one of my friends from my tutor group ended up.
Kids today eh?
To be fair wellsprop, there's potentially a differentiation between stupid, inexperienced, risk adverse etc. I'm not sure whether people with a degree are more/less likely to crash, I'm not sure that a proper sounding degree makes a difference compared to 'media studies' etc. I'm aware you're responding to a deliberately inflamatory post but in some ways the generalisation is expanded as you suggest that perhaps a degree makes you different behind the wheel than someone who works at the cinema...
I think risk adverse and experience is more the factor here; experience being the obvious one though again this isn't neccessarily age related. A 23 year old that drives for a living may well be more experienced than a 30 year old that drives 1-2k miles per year. The risk adverse element can come with age, having kids may well put a different spin on someone's perception of risk reward, on the flip side I know 50 yr old nobheads!
I'm sure there could be a nice graph with age, experience, risk and a few other metrics that determines your likelihood to crash; an algorithm that insurance companies already use...
Haha yes, I know. I was just taking the p....
I'm also well aware that someone can have a degree and be a totally incompetent fool.
I doubt there is any significant correlation between intelligence and driving ability. It's down to aptitude and attitude.
I imagine educating by teaching driving better would reduce collisions etc.
I didn't know we'd met
Oh dear.
That is pretty interesting detail on a segment that we know generates disproportionate risks.
Bit of a tangent, but do we know that older drivers are riskier too? Media coverage would suggest they are, but I've not seen 'proof'...
According to DfT analysis of crash data for the UK, drivers in the 17-24 age group have 8x the risk of being involved in a crash than the average driver. The highest risk period is more than 12 months after passing the test, when young (and predominantly male) drivers are at their most overconfident, while still being inexperienced. The young male in the pimped up Corsa really is the person to watch out for on the road.
With regard to older drivers, yes there are risks but nearly so much as for younger drivers. Those drivers aged 65+ are far less likely to speed and as a rule, drive less and for shorter distances than the average driver. Yes, abilities may weaken as people age but the rule of thumb is that older drivers are more cautious. As I recall a US study suggested that drivers of 75+ are only 2x more likely to be involved in a crash/mile travelled than an average driver. And bear in mind that drivers aged 75+ will tend to drive a shorter total distance/year than the average driver.
Cheers.
Googling this is now logged in my mental to-do list [and shuffled so far down the list it'll never get done].
Young people are stupid. What's new?
Hahaha lolz, some young people are others aren't . I would like to see your educational qualifications to see how clever you are. No need to make sweeping generalisations about young people. I would say that at present driving tests are outdated and useless as I passed my test and pretty much never interacted with a cyclists during my test as no one cycled where I was learning. Definite improvements could be made, just about the fear that a car can give a cyclist.
Again I reitirate there is no need to generalise about the intelligence of young people, just a need to make our roads safer and people aware of how good cycling is for environment, health and general wellbeing .
See you out on the road
Bet you're fun at parties, Mr Logic. Degree level btw.
See you on the road too
So you warn about generalising about young peoples intelligence then try to generalise about intelligence only being measured by sitting and passing educational tests. You then follow this up with an example of a test that you believe does not prove competence?
Not sure I follow your logic
I'm 21, I have a degree in Aerospace Engineering, a driving license (with a tracker which has scored me 91/100 for safety) and a Private Pilot's License.
But hey, I'm stupid...
ANYWAY, hardly surprising, given the amount of young drivers who seem to floor it everywhere and crash into everything. I don't know how so many young people manage to crash within the first year of driving - quite a few of my mates wrote of cars by taking on trees, hedges, ditches and traffic lights.
I understand how people can write about cars (I have indeed read many such articles), but the method of doing so by "taking on trees" escapes me
Maybe you need a degree in Aerospace Engineering and a Private Pilot's License to understand
Muphry's Law (sic) strikes again!
Before learning to drive, you apply for a provisional driving licence [noun], but the DVLA must license [verb] you to drive.
I was quoting from wellsprop's text (should have used quotation marks, oops) and it is possible that a Private Pilot Licensed them to do something that is relevant
Well, you're obviously not well enough educated to realise that it's a generalisation.
And it's true. People, especially men/boys, are far less risk-aware when they are young. Ask any paramedic or A&E worker. And this tendency doesn't disappear instantly at 18. If you have children you'll see how, when waiting to cross the road, they can't assess the speed of an approaching vehicle like an adult does and need frequent reminders.
Your academic performance doesn't necessarily make you better at real-world risk assessment, plenty of clever kids have died on the roads. The two things are unrelated. I went to uni and I'll admit that I drove like a muppet for several years. I'm not proud of it. It took a head-on smash (entirely my fault, wrote off a 3 month old car) to bring me to my senses. Thinking back, we didn't really know any different; that's not to defend my actions, more the realisation of how safety just wasn't part of the conversation. A big part of the problem is the 'culture' around cars - advertising, marketing & motorsport. It all glamourises speed and young people are especially vulnerable to this.
Drivers of any age would benefit from the experience of riding a bike in traffic. Classrooms, videos, theory test etc etc won't get the message through but first hand experience of close passes, drivers edging out of side roads as you approach and so on will soon show them to look for danger and the effect their driving has on other road users.
I can imagine a crash like that would be a wake up call!
(I know it was a generalisation, I was just being silly
EDIT: for some reason, the sarcasm of your comment flew straight over my head, oops )
I certainly agree that academic ability has nothing to do with driving ability, this certainly applies to a couple of my mates from uni...
I've made some stupid mistakes whilst driving, I guess that's part of how you learn - nothing particularly serious though. Equally, I wouldn't decide to drive above 60 mph down country lanes at night (I wouldn't even do it in the day); this, unfortunately, is how one of my peers from school ended up dying.
Driving whilst drunk seems to be a real problem for younger people as well, my friend's brother killed himself and his girlfriend whilst driving drunk.
Young men seem particularly easy to be convinced to drive stupidly when they have their mates in the car...