South Australian drivers who obtained their first provisional car licence between July 1998 and June 2001 and who were 16 to 19 years of age at the time of provisional licensure were identified. Their involvement as car drivers in crashes in South Australia that resulted in an injury or total damage of $3 000 or greater was determined for their learner period and the five years after obtaining their first provisional car licence. Their offence experience for their learner period and the three years after obtaining their first provisional car licence was also determined for four classes of offences: speed offences; moving violations; seat belt offences; and alcohol offences. The driver factors considered in this report were: year of obtaining first provisional licence; sex of driver; age of driver; location of residence; method of licensure; and length of time on learner’s permit. A rapid increase in driving competency was found particularly in the first year of driving on a provisional licence leading to large reductions in crash rates, particularly for crashes involving drivers leaving the roadway or making right filter turns across traffic. While moving violations showed a similar evolution to crashes: speed, seat belt and alcohol offences all showed increasing rates over time from when drivers obtained their provisional licence. The lack of exposure data for the drivers limits the conclusions that can be drawn. However, this report does give baseline data on young drivers and provides some directions for possible countermeasures. The dataset may also prove relevant for answering particular research questions in the future. (Author/publisher)
Abstract