Every year, drivers throughout the globe are injured or killed in road traffic. The young drivers run a greater risk everywhere than the elder ones, but this challenge is still greatly unsolved. The 18–24 year age group is the one with the biggest risk of all new drivers.
“More than just traffic enforcement – ensuring that young drivers stay safe is a matter of education,” says Rose Burberry-Martin, who works with Total Disability Individual Unemployability lawyers. “Teenagers don’t always understand that bad things can happen to them, as their age makes them feel invincible. We have to educate them on the risks of driving so that they learn to drive safely from the start.” A clear understanding of the underlying processes could be a useful tool in preventive endeavors.
Various methods of persuasion can be tested out, so as to change the young drivers’ goals behind driving, and the context in which it’s done. Both “hard” and “soft” methods should be used. For instance, increased enforcement and proper communication may be simultaneously used. But first, authorities should consider these factors:
Age
One important aspect which has been studied is how the driver’s age and the driving experience gained after licensure influence the risk of accidents on the road. Age is highly critical in terms of the level of accident risk. 15-year olds, in particular, are at an elevated risk. The chances of accident risk due to low driving experience usually decrease as the driver ages.
Communication campaigns should highlight the consequences of unsafe behaviors—and in particular target young males. The communication campaigns that employ emotional and persuasive messages are the most effective where the young drivers are concerned. Studies reveal that attitudes about safety are usually formed at an early age—long before legal driving—and therefore, it would also be essential to target young adolescents. Laws require that for enforcement to be effective, it should target areas of particular risk.
Experience
Several reviews and studies prove that experience is more crucial than age when it comes to accident risk in traffic
Driver education and Education Campaigns can’t be expected to change the goals of a young person radically. For that purpose, active learning methods which make use of the learner’s own experiences should be applied. Whether offered at driving schools or via the ordinary school system, some specialized courses for the young drivers designed to make them conscious of their personal tendencies; and the type of social context which affects their driving behavior could be fruitful.
Alcoholism
This is a significant factor that contributes to most accidents among young drivers.
While the law legalizes drinking alcohol among the 21-years and above, it is very keen on warning that drinking while driving at any age is illegal. Most of the young drivers, especially 21-26 years of age, usually take advantage that they are above the minimum age required for drinking without thinking about the legal limit for driving while intoxicated, which can get them into serious trouble.
According to the America’s NHTSA, approximately one-third of drivers ages 15-20 who lost their lives in car accidents had been drinking. This only means that to ensure safety on our roads; there shouldn’t be any measurable amount of alcohol in the young drivers’ bodies.
The conclusion which can be made from the above surveys are that: age correlated causes and experience, as well as drinking too heavily are crucial to the accident risk a driver is exposed to while in traffic. Studying these and trying to better reach young people and help them understand the risks in their behavior may someday result in lower accidents and crash-related deaths in younger drivers.
