Whether the increased accident rate of young drivers arises because they are immature or because they are inexperienced has been the subject of debate. At a practical level maturity cannot be accelerated, while the lessons of experience can, in principle, be taught. Earlier studies have shown that for young drivers the effect of experience alone over the first three years of driving was some four-fold that of age. The reduction in accident liability in the first years of driving was most marked in the youngest age groups, but was evident at all ages, raising the question of just what happens in the first two or three years of driving to turn a high risk novice into a lower risk driver. A sample of 8000 candidates taking their practical driving test in a particular week, selected every three months since November 2001, were sent a questionnaire on learning to drive. Respondents who pass their practical driving test are sent a driver experience questionnaire at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months after passing the test. The characteristics of some of the novices who have taken PassPlus training during the first six months after passing the practical driving test were investigated. One incentive for new drivers to take PassPlus is that on successful completion of the course, many insurers offer one year's no claims bonus. PassPlus requires a minimum of 6 hours' training on town driving, all-weather driving, driving out of town, night driving, driving on dual carriageways and driving on motorways. It was found that the youngest drivers were most likely to take PassPlus. Takers of PassPlus reported equivalent levels of confidence to non-takers of Pass Plus. Those who took PassPlus were more likely to have had no practice driving with friends or relations. Although the mileage driven did not differ between the PassPlus group and the no additional training group, the accident and near miss data suggest that those who took PassPlus had slightly worse performance in terms of both accidents and near misses. However, since the group taking PassPlus was self-selected which may have influenced the results. The influence on accidents persisted into the 6- to 12-month period. Drivers who had purchased their own vehicles were more likely to take PassPlus, possibly for the insurance discount. For the covering abstract see ITRD E157496
Abstract