Long road ahead for newly-qualified drivers; bottom line on airbags; diesel dilemma

LEARNING to drive doesn’t end with passing the test.

Newly qualified drivers face many challenges on their own without the help of an accompanying driver.

We know from research that the phase when a person drives on their own after passing the test is the most risky.

Newly qualified drivers are at a higher risk of being involved in fatal and serious injury crashes.

It’s down to three main factors – inexperience, risk-taking and tiredness.

We’ve all had that experience of learning something new and struggling to put it into practice.

In everyday life when something doesn’t come off as we planned the worst that can happen is we get embarrassed.

However, if it happens when we are driving, then it can be a whole different story.

By the time someone passes their test, the driver may not have driven more than 1,000km.

But you will need to drive many thousands more before you face driving in snow, ice, fog, flooding etc, and until we do that we are still learning.

The only way to gain experience and become really confident is to do lots of driving.

But this will expose you to more risky situations.

So what can a driver do about this catch 22?

All too often we just hop into the car and drive off without thinking too much about our journey.

Instead, think about the journey ahead and what you might face.

Will you be driving at night?

Will you be driving on backroads or motorway?

What are the weather conditions?

Will traffic be heavy or light? Will you be driving alone?

Is your car in good shape?

The vast majority of newly qualified drivers are young adults.

If they have passed the driving test and shown us that they are competent, why are so many involved in crashes?

A linked question is, why are the vast majority of these drivers male?

One critical reason is the tendency to take risks.

It’s easy to generalise and blame testosteronefuelled recklessness for these crashes.

But here’s what we know. Risk-taking is a built-in feature of the development of young adults.

This is because they are striking out on their own and in doing so pushing the boundaries of behaviour to establish their independence.

The brain of a young male adult is still developing and the factors controlling impulsivity are not fully developed until age 25. Impulsivity and risk-taking are linked.

Young males are hardwired to take risks. While this was a good thing when gathering food when we lived in caves, it’s not good when you are learning to drive a car.

Being prone to risktaking means a young driver is more likely to behave in a way that will lead to a crash.

By being aware of this, a young driver can work to modify their behaviour.

But it’s not a free pass. Risk-taking is also a conscious choice for which they are responsible.

Young drivers are prone to tiredness at the wheel because of sleep, social and work patterns.

Young males are also more likely to fight sleep at the wheel.

This is why we have a novice-driver system in Ireland.

It recognises that new drivers are going through a risky phase and still learning.

When you mix tiredness behind the wheel with inexperience and risky behaviour, it’s a lethal combination.

It’s the reason why we apply different penalty point rules and a lower drink-drive limit.

Inexperience is a fact of life, but once a new driver knows it influences the way they drive, they should be able to make up for it and learn from any problems they face while driving.