statistics about young drivers

- Average of 300,000 P-platers on NSW roads.
- 17-year-old P1 driver four times more likely than average drivers to be involved
in a fatal crash.
- 16 to 20-year-olds account for seven per cent of all drivers, but are involved in
17 per cent of fatalities.
- New restrictions for P-platers include: ban on driving V8, turbo-charged, super-charged
and …

- peeding is a contributing factor in 40 per cent of fatal crashes involving P-plate drivers.

- he number of persons killed from crashes involving a P Plate driver decreased from 73 in 2007 to 63 in 2008.

- More than 80 per cent of speeding casualty crashes involving P-plate drivers occur in urban areas including 60 per cent in Sydney region.

- Of all speeding drivers involved in fatal crashes between 2001 and 2005:

• 20 per cent were 17-20 years of age.
• 16 per cent were 21-25 years of age

- They are over-represented in other areas as well, because P-plate drivers make up about 7 per cent of the driving population, but they account for ... last year, for approximately 20 per cent of the

Exposure Factors

• Amount of Time on the Road

The road is a hazardous environment, so simply being on the road is of importance in crashes occurring for any road user. Data on crash risk as a function of the distance travelled shows that accident rates (eg per million kilometres travelled) are higher for younger drivers than for older drivers. This suggests that young drivers who are on the road the most are more likely to crash. Conversely, a lack of on-road driving time is also thought to be a risk factor for crashes, since the opportunity for gaining driving experience is limited.Too little exposure increases crash risk, but so does very high exposure. The problem seems to be one of finding the right balance between obtaining on-road experience and managing the nature of that exposure.

For young drivers, crash statistics from a number of studies demonstrate that they are more likely to involve single-vehicle crashes. One study attempted to establish the reasons for higher risk for single-vehicle crashes in young drivers compared to the crash-risk for older drivers, but found no relationship with any of these factors: drunk driving, speeding, fatigue, illness, type of vehicle, road conditions or even lack of a license. .

• Time of Day and Week

. Most crashes occurred over the weekend period, and in the late afternoon and night period. young drivers show a disproportionately higher risk compared to older drivers at these times.

Environmental Factors

Crashes for young drivers are more likely to occur on country roads Around six times more crashes involving young people also occur in fine weather compared to weather involving rain, fog, mist and snow. However this most probably reflects the result of exposure, since in Australia we tend to have considerably more fine days than days with poor weather. 2. Social and Situational Factors

Passengers

There is evidence that the social setting in which young drivers operate plays a role in determining driver behaviour. The major factors that have been identified as important are: the presence and type of passengers, the influence of peers and the social group, and the role of alcohol.

accident risk increases both day and night when young drivers carry passengers. the type of passengers is important, in particular when the passengers are teenagers and when there is more than one passenger. The presence of passengers has been shown to influence driving behaviour for both young males and females, through less signalling behaviour and changes in speed.The idea that young drivers are more susceptible to peer and social influences has been put forward by a number of authors to explain the young drivers' higher crash risk and to explain the influence of young passengers on crash risk.

Alcohol

Alcohol use has been well-documented to be a risk factor for crashes in young drivers and is cited as one of the major risk factors in many reports on the young driver problem. There is evidence, however, from some studies that young drivers involved in crashes are likely to have lower or zero blood alcohol levels (BAC) . The main reason for the emphasis on alcohol as a risk factor is that there is considerable evidence that alcohol is a risk factor for crashes because it adversely affects driving style.

• Age

One of the most consistent findings in the literature on young drivers is that the youngest group of drivers has the highest road injury risk. a recent report on age-related crash risk in Western Australia demonstrated that crash risk was between 60 to 70 percent higher for the youngest driver age group (17 to 19 year olds) compared to the next oldest group (20 to 24 year olds). younger drivers showing the highest risk of all.

• Sex

compared to females, males are significantly over-represented in road crashes. Death rates for road injury in NSW are around three times higher for males than females and have been that way for the last decade or more. Young males - as either driver or passenger - have fatality rates around three times higher than for females.

• Behaviour

 Sensation seeking has been linked with risk-taking behaviour which is often cited as a characteristic of young drivers that explains their higher crash risk.  Aggressiveness has also been linked with risky driving on the premise that risky driving can be an expression of anger and hostility. Research shows that young people with higher aggression tend to drive more recklessly. Egocentrism has also been linked to young driver crashes. According to this concept, adolescents tend to underestimate their vulnerability to risk ("it won't happen to me").

A recent Australian study defined five subtypes among young novice drivers. Two of these subtypes were classified as high risk compared to the others. These high-risk subtypes were characterised by higher driving-related aggression, speed, sensation seeking, using driving to reduce tension, higher assaultiveness and hostility. The differences between subtypes were validated in a study of performance in a driving simulator. The high risk subtypes showed inferior driving skill compared to the other three subtypes.

• Clinical Conditions

There is recent evidence of a link between hyperactivity, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and road injury risk.