Why Are Young Drivers Dangerous On The Road.
Every year, a number of drivers throughout the world get injured or killed in road traffic. Out of this, young drivers run a great risk all over, and this problem still remains unsolved. To alter a young driver’s aim behind driving and the perspective in which it is done, a range of different methods of persuasion should be tested. Different methods should be used to curb the menace of young drivers driving recklessly. For instance, increased enforcement and communication may be used concurrently. Various communication campaigns should emphasize the dangers of perilous behavior specifically targeting young drivers (Caird, 2005).
Road crashes are among the biggest killer of young drivers all over the world. Young drivers are not only a danger to themselves but also a greater risk to the passengers and road users. The death rates for young drivers under the age of 24 are approximately two times those of older drivers. Together with the dreadful human cost, such lose impose a huge financial burden on societies. Research shows that the main cause of the young driver’s accidents is a combination of inadequate skills due to inexperience and intentional risk taking related to age and youthfulness. Whichever of this is the main cause it is still the hot literature debate. However, there is a great need to go beyond this debate and tackle this concern to cut on the young driver accident. Identifying the drivers at a greater risk of crashing before it happens is valuable as it can prevent injury to road users and reduce social cost to the society (Fowles, 2010).
Attempts to recognize drivers at a higher risk of crashing rely heavily on evident of crash, traffic offense records and driving behavior of the past. Sixty five per cent of the young drivers smash or crash their car in the first four years of driving, and at least more than half exceeded the speed limit by up to 25km/h. Research shows that young drivers in their mid-20s are drink-driving, speeding, fail to wearing a seatbelt, using a mobile phone while driving and sometimes they are under the influence of illegal drugs. The study also found an increase in the level of drink-driving among young drivers over the course of their first four years behind the wheel.
In Australia, young drivers aged 17 and 25 constitute a quarter of road deaths, despite representing only 14 per cent of all drivers (Eby, 2003). Careless driving among young drivers has become a key police focal point. An example of young people driving dangerously is of a 19-year-old who was caught in Melbourne's east doing a burnout with his 10-month-old son and pregnant girlfriend in the car (Eby, 2003). This is one case among thousands out there made by young drivers. Speeding, driving while fatigued, driving without a seatbelt and driving under the influence of illegal drugs or while using a mobile phone is considerably the most common among young drivers.
Parents could play a very important role in educating their children on rules about driving. They should engage themselves from buying the car to encouraging their children on how to drive safely. Young drivers cause particular risks and problem in traffic safety rules. Until they reach their mid or late 20s, they have a higher crash risk, especially when crashes are adjusted for the amount of driving. Impairment by alcohol and drugs exacerbates these risks. Lack of driving experience, coupled with immature judgment, makes impairment by alcohol and drugs particularly dangerous. Research has provided more information about the nature of the young impaired driving problem and the strategies that can improve traffic safety.
Teenagers who are the young drivers drink and drive less often, but when they do drive after drinking, they are at a greater risk of crashing. Illegal drugs also play a big role in crashes among the young drivers. After the age of drinking was changed to 21 in the US in the 1980s, traffic crashes related to alcohol, declined among drivers under 21 years (Brookhuis, 1991). When adjusted for exposure, 21-29 year-old drivers in the US were at a highest risk for drinking driver fatalities (Fowles, 2010). When younger drivers drink, the risk of crashing is much higher than for older drivers. Among drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of .07—the U.S. legal limit is .08—those under 21 are more than five times more likely to be involved in a crash than those over 21 years (Fowles). When the risk associated with impaired driving is adjusted for exposure, drivers ages 16 to 20 have the highest risk of crashing per vehicle miles traveled, followed by drivers 21 to 29 (Fowles,2010). Young male drivers are at dramatically greater risk than young female drivers. The differentials between the sexes persist through all ages but become less marked as drivers Research on the characteristics of risky young drivers and the crashes in which they are likely to be involved yield insights into ways to make these drivers safer.
Good drivers are made and learning to drive safely takes quite some time and needs extensive practice and patient. Gaining sufficient experience is the key in rectifying the situation. Also the age at which young people are allowed to start singly driving is very important to note. The younger the driving age, the higher the crashing rate among young drivers. Young people are physically and emotionally less mature, and thus less able to assess risk than older drivers. Recent research indicates that the part of the brain responsible for hindering impulses and weighing the outcome of decisions may be under development until the teenage years (Eby, 2003). Young people are also at a period where they are eager to test everything that comes there way as well as enjoying their social lifestyle. These include going out at night and carrying their age mates. Sometimes they may tend to show off, or be vulnerable to pressure, and exceed the speed limit under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Men drive more often than young women, and seem to have more experience but end up crashing quickly. This is evident by the fact that young men are generally prone toward risk-taking, speeding and sensation-seeking than young women. They also tend to over-estimate their driving skills and this exposes them to more risks. All these factors add up to higher risks for young drivers. Nevertheless, some are prone to more risks than others. Personality types are mostly subject to high crash risk. These include social norms, peer pressure and placed on rebellion in youth customs and this can affect driving technique. Irresponsible habits like alcohol taking, fatigue, drugs and mobile phone use while driving impair a driver’s ability to drive well. In short, young drivers’ risk levels are a product of both their environment and who they are.
Generally young drivers, female or male, are not intentionally unsafe. Governments are also trying to find ways to reduce the risk for this group to make them safer. It is precisely the process of gaining the experience on the road after licensing that exposes them to risk. There is also the danger that if at all driving becomes too restrictive for them, they will hardly participate in social events, works or goes to school. If governments are seen as unfairly penalizing young people, the measures will not be accepted. And if it becomes too difficult or expensive to drive a car, young people could switch to riskier forms of transport, such as motorcycles.
There are also measures that governments can put in place to ensure that young drivers are save while driving by making use of new technology. There is no single solution for reducing young driver risks. This requires a co-ordinated approach that involves a wide range of actors from legislators to parents and the young drivers themselves. The success of such measures depends on public and political acceptance of the problem gravity.
Another important thing is the licensing process which has the potential of reducing the risk with a great percentage. The younger they start driving especially below the age of eighteen, the higher the risk of involving in road accidents. Therefore, it is important to set a standard age for unrestricted solo driving. The administrations should on the other hand resist pressure to lower the current licensing age and keep in mind that increasing the age would reduce fatalities. The conditions for driving mopeds and motorcycles should in the same way be stringent to stop migration to less safe forms of transport.
The first year of solo driving is identified as the most dangerous and governments could apply unique restrictions in that phase to protect young drivers. Traffic authorities should also impose special alcohol limit with a maximum blood alcohol content of 0.2 g/l on beginner drivers. Traditional training methods focus on creating drivers who are technically competent and ready to pass the driving test. Also in order to have safe drivers in future, training should center on self-assessment and teaching an understanding of factors that contribute to driving risk. The measures would at least tackle some of the known contributing factors to young driver crashes. This will only work if enforced with punishments that act as a real disincentive to breaking the rules of driving. Young drivers should be introduced to a probationary period, during which they can lose their license or have to undergo an additional training if they fail to comply with the rules of licensing or road conditions
However, it is often difficult to put enforcement on young drivers in particular. It can be more effective to ensure thorough general enforcement of rules, at the same time focusing on infractions where young people are over-represented such as speed, alcohol, non-use of seat belts and drug-driving (Caird, 2005). Action could also focus on areas where young drivers are particularly active, such as roads around entertainment areas. The traffic department can also employ new technologies, like the black box that records details on how a car is being operated; alcolocks that test the level of alcohol in the drivers blood (Fowles, 2010). Though more research is being done on these new technologies they would be very beneficial to novice and young drivers.
It is also important to look at the accessibility of public transport, the availability of alcohol, costs of operating a vehicle, and the location of services of interest to young drivers so that all these can have an impact on the risk. Governments can reduce cost of combating risk through the international co-operation by sharing research to ensure that all countries attain the best possible levels of road safety on all drivers regardless of age (Fowles, 2010). Communications and educational efforts are also essential, so as to alter the basic attitudes that aggravate risks. Such campaigns should aim inexperienced drivers and high-risk lifestyle groups. Parents on the other hand have an important role to play, since many safety attitudes are recognized well before the driving age, and highly susceptible to the influence of their role models.
The proof of the seriousness of the young driver problem may be forceful, but this does not mean that set actions to improve matters will be welcomed with openly. Stakeholders should be consulted, including parents, employers, young drivers, testing agencies, driving instructors, the police, education and education sectors, road users and the insurance industry in general (Brookhuis, 1991). Finally, countermeasures should be used to show concrete results at each driving step whole training. Consideration should also be given to ensure that they do not impact more disadvantaged sectors of the society. They should also be monitored and adjusted carefully where they are not showing results properly. The first step is to ensure public awareness of the problems. This can be done immediately through publicity campaigns that encourage changes in behavior, and reinforce the need to act (Fowles, 2010). The combination of other countermeasures, particularly enforcement, with communications can yield changes in attitudes towards safety risk over the longer term.
Governments can also put into practice overall road safety developments that address young drivers risks. This can include rigorous enforcement and appropriate legislations of road safety focusing on parts where young drivers risk is especially high, such as alcohol, speeding, seatbelt use and drugs. Immediate action can be taken based on regulations and existing laws. Among the most effective measures include introducing high levels of pre-licensing accompanied practices (Eby, 2003). Another effective option is to introduce protective limits during initial solo driving. Limited driving at night especially with passengers should be into consideration. Legislation is also required for implementation to take place gradually by enforcing the measures.
Such measures can be unpopular with young drivers themselves though it is an effective communications strategy to reveal extensive support among the society in general. The enforcements will only be successful if there are important repercussions for breaking road rules. Effective hindrance to inappropriate driving behaviors should entail imposing probationary periods on young careless. This will ensure young drivers to lose the right to drive or go through compulsory retraining. Countermeasures like this may necessitate new rules, with no additional costs. Insurance premiums for cars could also be used to support young drivers to shun unsafe driving habits.
Responsible authorities could also improve driver testing and training. This will create safer drivers while instilling novice drivers with a sense of their own understanding and limitations of the causes of risk. It is also important to look at road safety features of public policy verdicts that are not directly related to road safety. This is in areas such as cost and availability of public transport, the availability of parking at schools, the costs of operating a vehicle and other areas frequented by young drivers especially bars and discos (Glassbrenner, 2005). Other longer term issue is the technological solutions for examining and enforcement to assist the young driver with the driving task.
In conclusion it is very important to implement education on young drivers for them to understand the safety risk they are putting themselves into. The current inadequate education is the key factor that is contributing to a number of crashes and close calls among young drivers. More awareness campaigns should be carried out regarding the dangers of careless driving. This will go a long way providing a safe driving environment for the young drivers.

References
Brookhuis, K., D. The effects of mobile telephoning on driving performance. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 23, 1991: 309-316. Caird, J. S. A meta-analysis of driving performance and crash risk associated with the use of cellular telephones while driving. Proceedings of the third international driving symposium on human factors in driver assessment, training and vehicle design, 2005: 478-485. Eby, D. W. Risky Driving: Relationship Between Cellular Phone and Safety Belt Use. Transportation Research Record, 2003: 20-23.
Fowles, R. The cell phone effect on motor vehicle fatality rates: A Bayesian and classical econometric evaluation. Transportation Research Part E. 2010
Glassbrenner, D. Driver Cell Phone Use in 2004 - Overall Results. NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and Analysis. 2005.