Young drivers in Scotland
- On average 2000 young people in Scotland pass their practical driving tests every month
- Young drivers in Scotland represent nearly 5% of licence holders
- There were 160 17-19 year old males killed or seriously injured on Scotland's roads in 2003
- 1 in 5 new drivers in Scotland will be involved in an accident in their first year of driving alone
- Young drivers in Scotland are more than twice as likely to be killed or seriously injured in an accident in a rural area than a built up area
- 17-22 year old Scottish males are more likely to be involved in an accident than any other age group
Young driver profile
- A young driver is typically between 17-19 years old and has held a full driving licence for less than six months
- Young drivers often think they handle a car well but inexperience implies undeveloped hazard perception
- Young drivers enjoy driving more than any other age group
- Young drivers get a strong sense of personal identity from driving a car
- Young drivers get a sense of power and being in control from driving
- Young drivers are image- conscience and may commit driving offences to impress their peers
- Young drivers show greater outward anger towards other drivers
- Young male drivers are the highest violators of the Highway Code i.e. more likely to speed, race, close follow, undertake, drink and drug drive
Attitudes of young drivers
- With a male passenger in the car, young drivers tend to choose riskier speeds
- When coming to a bend in the road, young male drivers choose faster speeds than any other driving group
- Young drivers are more likely to 'tailgate' in the presence of male passengers than female passengers
- Young drivers lack experience and consider themselves better drivers than others do
- Young drivers often feel they are not likely to suffer any consequences of their actions
- Young drivers often experience immediate positive 'feel good' emotions when committing driving offences
- Young drivers can be over- confident which potentially leads to taking risks and unsafe speeds
Laws affecting young drivers
- The New Drivers Act puts new drivers 'on probation' for two years from the time they pass their driving test. If the driver receives six or more penalty points in this time they lose their licence and go back to 'learner' status