Should young drivers have tougher tests?

Young driver statistics are as scary as ever, with ITV.com reporting* that 40% of 17-year-old males will have an accident within six months of passing their test and that the single biggest cause of accidental death of young people aged 15-24 is by road accident.


A number of casualty profiles based on five years of data (2008 – 2012) has been undertaken in West Sussex showing that 34.4% of killed or seriously injured casualties are within the 17 to 24 year age band (see graph below). These worrying statistics have led to Sussex-based Skoda dealership Station Garage asking if it’s time for new drivers to be given tougher practical driving tests.

There are many reasons for younger or new drivers to be at higher risk of having a car accident, most of all inexperience. After passing a practical and theory test, new drivers are then free to drive whenever and wherever they like – in the dark, on a motorway, with friends as passengers, in the snow or torrential rain. Experience is only gained through continual practice, but should new drivers be given extra guidance or tests with the usual everyday distractions and hazards?

James Thorpe, Dealer Principal at Station Garage in Horsham, comments:

“It’s so exciting when you pass your test and the first thing that most of us want to do is call up some friends and go for a drive. But when you are used to driving with only one adult in the car, having big distractions could cause you to have an accident.

“The Pass Plus training is a superb way of developing skills in new drivers, but sadly isn’t compulsory. The practical modules in this training include driving in all weathers, on rural and town roads, at night and on motorways.

“Perhaps if Pass Plus, or extra modules in the normal driving test, were necessary to gain a full driving licence, then accidents and deaths in young drivers would decrease. It is something that we cannot know without actually changing the law and enforcing it.”

Beth Brooks, aged 18 from Sussex, says:

“I felt that my driving lessons and test were enough to prepare me. I am confident and don’t worry about driving on motorways, in the dark or the rain. I do think that extra training should be taken if you’re not very confident but this should be down to personal choice.”

Hannah Slater, aged 19 from Sussex, disagrees:

“The current test is good for teaching you how to operate a car and drive during the day on ‘normal’ roads but it certainly doesn’t prepare you for all eventualities such as motorway or night driving. I don’t feel hugely confident if I have to take the motorway somewhere. Also, driving on your own and driving with friends are very different experiences. I think making the Pass Plus training compulsory is a sensible idea whether you are a confident new driver or not.

Road safety charity, Brake, is calling for graduated driver licensing (GDL), a system that allows new drivers to develop skills and experience gradually:

There are a number of variations on graduated driver licensing, but Brake calls for a system that includes a 12-month learner period, an initial test, and then a two-year novice period when you can drive independently but with restrictions – such as a late-night driving curfew**.

Station Garage is hosting a free ‘young drivers’ event on Thursday 6th October at its workshop on Billingshurst Road, Broadbridge Heath, West Sussex. The event takes place from 6pm to 8pm. To find out more, please email events@stationgarage.skoda.co.uk.

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