Executive Summary
One of the most disturbing and seemingly difficult crises in road safety is the ever-increasing involvement of young people in road accidents. Numerous studies have shown that young drivers are a major threat on the road, posing serious risks to other road users. The studies indicate that young drivers have a much higher chance of being involved in traffic accidents than older drivers. The purpose of this report is to explore the issue of driving injury among young people. The findings of this report show that the major causes of driving injury among young drivers include driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, adverse driving conditions, driving at night, the attitude of the driver, bends and speed, and the presence of passengers. The conclusion is that the current system regulating driving among young people is liberal and ineffective in controlling road accidents. The report recommends the introduction of laws that are more restrictive on young drivers.
Young drivers are overrepresented in traffic accidents, with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) indicating that motor vehicle accidents are the top cause of death among youngsters. A recent analysis of the claims history of the Association of British Insurers members clearly revealed that young drivers, (between the ages 17 and 24), had a far higher chance to have made a claim that exceeded £500,000 than drivers in other age groups (Association of British Insurers, 2012). In most cases, the accidents will have terrible outcomes, causing life-changing injuries. The overrepresentation of young people in traffic accidents is a serious road safety issue that requires effective and urgent solutions (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). This report aims to present information that will increase understanding of the major causes of driving injury among young people. An evaluation of the main factors that put young drivers at risk of becoming involved in traffic accidents helps to reveal the road safety measures that could help to contain the problem (McCartt, Teoh, Fields, Braitman & Hellinga, 2010).
Major Causes of Driving Injury among Young Drivers
Driving Under Influence of Drugs and Alcohol
Research by Elliott, Ginsburg & Winston (2008) that aimed at determining the incidence and related risk factors for unlicensed young drivers among 9th, 10th and 11th graders found that driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol is a major contributor to traffic accidents in the U.S. The study revealed that one in every 25 of the students surveyed reported that they could drive for up to one hour/week without a driver’s license. A study by Siliquini et al. (2010) further shows that the use of psychoactive substances increases the risk of road accidents because the substances tend to decrease driving performance.
Attitude of Driver
The attitude of a driver contributes considerably to road accidents. A 2008 research by the Department for Transport revealed that the attitude of a young driver contributes significantly to car accidents. According to the Association of British Insurers (2012), young drivers are more reckless and in a hurry than drivers aged 25 and over. Besides, the young drivers are far more likely to be involved in speed and aggressive driving when compared to the older drivers (Governors Highway Safety Association, 2013).
Driving at Night
Driving in the dark poses numerous risks for young drivers because it requires better skills than driving during the day. Therefore, driving late in the night exposes young people to the danger of accidents because driving in the dark poses serious challenges, and many of the drivers lack sufficient competence and experience of driving at night. Moreover, the problem of fatigue is more likely to affect young drivers at night (The Allstate Foundation, 2013). Besides, recreational driving is likely to take place at night, especially under the influence of drugs (Fell, Todd & Voas, 2011).
Adverse Driving Conditions
Adverse weather conditions tend to affect young drivers more than they affect drivers above the age of 25. As the DfT survey indicates, young drivers are twice as likely to be involved in accidents on slippery roads as those aged above 25 years (Association of British Insurers, 2012). In addition, wet roads often necessitate a different driving technique from dry, which younger drivers lack (The Allstate Foundation, 2013).
Bends and Speed
Too much speeding, abrupt braking and loss of control among young drivers contribute significantly to road accidents. As the Association of British Insurers, (2012) observes, young drivers have a threefold likelihood of being involved in an accident due to loss of control and unnecessary speeding of their vehicles than other drivers. Furthermore, abrupt braking contributes a lot to traffic accidents because young drivers are more likely to execute this tactic.
Presence of Passengers
Young drivers driving in the company of their friends are more likely to be involved in a crash because the friends are likely to distract them, as well as push them to take more risks (O’Brien, Albert, Chein & Steinberg, 2011). A 2012 study by the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that there is a strong relationship between the number of passengers in a vehicle and the risk of a young driver dying in an accident (Association of British Insurers, 2012).
Findings
The findings of this report indicate an over-representation of young people in traffic accidents, which poses a serious road safety issue that calls for urgent solutions. Some of the major causes of driving injury among young drivers include driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, the attitude of the driver, bends and speed, driving at night, adverse driving conditions and the presence of passengers (Ferguson, 2013).
Conclusions
Young drivers tend to be involved in accidents that are distinctly catastrophic than they ought to be, considering their numbers. The main factors contributing to this situation is their age, attitude, driving at night, lack of experience, carrying passengers, excessive speed and wet conditions (O’Brien, Albert, Chein & Steinberg, 2011). The current system regulating to driving among young people is quite liberal, ineffective and inappropriate because it does not contain the problem effectively (Klauer et al., 2011). It is essential to introduce effective measures to reduce the number of injuries among young drivers.
Recommendations
This report recommends the measures below to curb crashes among young drivers:
- The lowering of the driving age to 17 years and implementing the Graduated Driver Licensing program vigilantly to give young drivers sufficient time to learn driving before taking their first practical test (Williams, Tefft & Grabowski, 2012).
- Imposing a mandatory minimum duration of one year before young drivers can take their practical test and banning all intensive driving courses.
- Restricting the age at which drivers can carry passengers other than their own family members
- Imposing a nighttime driving restriction during the first 6 months
- Lowering the alcohol limit during the first 6 months of obtaining a driving license
References
Association of British Insurers. (2012). Improving the safety of young drivers. Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Vital signs: Drinking and driving among high school students aged ≥16 years – United States, 1991-2011. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 61(39), 796-800.
Elliott, M. R., Ginsburg, K. R., & Winston, F. K. (2008). Unlicensed teenaged drivers: Who are they, and how do they behave when they are behind the wheel?Pediatrics, 122(5).
Fell, J. C., Todd, M., & Voas, R. (2011). A national evaluation of nighttime and passenger restriction components of graduated driver licensing. Journal of Safety Research, 42, 283–290.
Ferguson, S. A. (2013). Speeding-related fatal crashes among teen drivers and opportunities for reducing the risks. Web.
Governors Highway Safety Association. (2013). Speeding & aggressive driving.
Klauer, S. G., Simons-Morton, B., Lee, S. E., Ouimet, M. C., Henry, E. H., & Dingus, T. A. (2011). Novice drivers’ exposure to known risk factors during the first 18 months of licensure: The effect of vehicle ownership. Traffic Injury Prevention, 12(2), 159–168.
McCartt, A. T., Teoh, E. R., Fields, M., Braitman, K. A., & Hellinga, L. A. (2010). Graduated licensing laws and fatal crashes of teenage drivers: A national study. Traffic Injury Prevention, 11, 240-248.
O’Brien, L., Albert, D., Chein, J., & Steinberg, L. (2011). Adolescents prefer more immediate rewards when in the presence of their peers. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 747-753.
Siliquini, R., Piat, S. C., Alonso, F., Druart, A., Kedzia, M., Mollica, A., Siliquini, V., Vankov, D., Villerusa, A., Manzoli, L., & TEND Group. (2010). A European study on alcohol and drug use among young drivers: the TEND by Night study design and methodology. BMC Public Health, 10, 205.
The Allstate Foundation. (2013). Why graduated driver licensing? Web.
Williams, A. F., Tefft, B. C., & Grabowski, J. G. (2012). Graduated driver licensing research, 2010-Present. Journal of Safety Research, 43, 195-203.