The impact of young people's attitudes and mindsets on their driving were investigated in the UK in a series of two workshops with each of six groups of young people. The workshops focused on how young people experience the learning process, their definition of its goal, good driving, and the implications for driving behaviour. Participants defined being a good driver as the mastery of physical, social and emotional activities. They were sceptical about whether the process of learning for and passing the test contributed to good driving. Most considered that it is only after the test has been passed that an individual really starts to learn to drive. This post-test learning was seen as a process of learning from experience. Many participants considered that driving ability was a matter of natural talent, making them over-confident in their abilities. Four broad areas of intervention were identified that could improve the safety of young drivers: reposition the rules, co-opt the culture, tackle the talent model; and re-think the test.
Abstract