The fast and the curious: young people’s attitudes to driver training

The over-representation of young drivers in road accidents is well known and widely reported. 30% of car occupant fatalities are drivers aged 17-24, or passengers of a driver aged 17-24. Yet this group only forms 8% of all licence holders.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory to analyse young novice drivers’ attitudes and opinions towards post-test training. This summary discusses how the Institute of Advanced Motorists will respond to this research and some of the wider policy implications of the findings.

The key findings and feedback are:

• While feedback on Institute of Advanced Motorists advanced driver training and ‘Momentum’ has been positive, we know that it only reaches a small number of drivers. Errors and behaviour contribute to the vast majority of accidents involving young drivers, yet few take the additional training which would improve their safety.

• 62% of young male novice drivers think they are more skilful than the average driver. Only 32% of young women say the same.

• Young, novice drivers are the highest risk group on our roads, and male drivers between 17-29 are more than twice as likely to be killed or seriously injured as young female drivers. 30% of car occupant fatalities are drivers aged 17-24, or passengers of a driver aged 17-24, yet this age group makes up only 8% of all driving licence holders.

• The report also highlights the fact that young drivers are much more likely to take post-test training if there are proper financial incentives – reduced insurance premiums would encourage three-quarters of young novice drivers to consider further training.