VicRoads has conducted a series of telephone surveys of learner permit holders and newly-licensed drivers to monitor the accumulation of supervised driving experience by Victorian learner permit holders. Surveys were conducted in 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005 and 2007. The 2007 survey was performed by Roy Morgan Research on behalf of VicRoads. ARRB Group was commissioned by VicRoads to analyse the data and report on changes in the amount and variety of experience accumulated by learner permit holders compared with previous surveys. A total of 1313 drivers from three stages of the learner permit period were interviewed about their supervised driving practice over the last week and professional lessons over the last four weeks; and 209 newly licensed drivers were interviewed about lessons and practice in the final weeks before passing the probationary licence test (the fourth and final stage of the learner permit period). Information about driving in each stage was combined to generate estimates of the total amount of supervised driving experience accumulated by learners while holding a learner permit, based entirely on reports of driving during the period April to June 2007. Respondents were also asked about the variety of driving conditions experienced and about their experience of a variety of programs promoting the accumulation of at least 120 hours supervised driving experience by all learners before obtaining a probationary licence. The results of the survey revealed that the average amount of experience accumulated by learner permit holders before graduating to a probationary licence has increased by 4.9 per cent from 104.5 hours in 2005 to 109.6 hours in 2007. (a)
Samenvatting