More than 85% of new drivers in Québec in 1996 were under the age of twenty-five. As in other jurisdictions where motor vehicle use is widespread, road accidents involving young drivers are an important public health concern. People under age 25 accounted for 12% of all licence holders, but 24% of drivers involved in bodily injury accidents in Québec in 1996. The main factors that would explain the overrepresentation of young drivers in accidents is a high degree of risk-taking and a lack of driving experience, while driving skills seem to be much less of a cause. To illustrate this tendancy to take chances, Quebec drivers under age 25 have the highest rate of offences leading to the entry of demerit points on their record (mainly speeding, going through red traffic lights and failure to obey stop signs) per 100 licence holders. For any given age, the number of drivers involved in bodily injury accidents in Québec per 100 licence holders decreases as drivers acquire experience. A driver faces a greater risk of having an accident during the first year of driving. In light of this fact, any program that aims to reduce the accident toll of new drivers must take into consideration that the vast majority of them are under the age of 25, and it should seek to diminish their risk-taking behind the wheel and the acquisition of driving experience in a safer context. (Author/publisher)
Abstract