A 2-year probation period was introduced for all novice drivers, irrespective of age, in Austria during which a driving offence leads to obligatory participation in a psychological driver improvement course and a 2-year extension to the probation period. An analysis after a five-year period indicated that there had been a continuous decrease in accident involvement of 32.5% for novice drivers compared with 8.9% for other drivers. Although the number of novice drivers decreased over this time period, an accident reduction rate of 18.7% was still found for this group. Psychological driver improvement courses reduced repeat offences by alcohol consumers by almost 50%. The development and voluntary introduction of a safe driving course and psychological discussion for learner drivers is described.
Samenvatting