DfT publishes young driver study

The DfT has published the results of a study into the factors that contribute to the high crash rates among young drivers.

The young people involved in the research defined being a good driver as the mastery of three different and parallel kinds of activity:

Driving as a physical activity - interacting with the car and the environment. This involves knowing how to handle a car, the car's capabilities, your own capabilities, awareness of the physical environment such as road and weather conditions, and awareness of other drivers and how to anticipate them.  

Driving as a social activity - operating in a shared space governed by social rules. This involves the driver having to understand the (largely unwritten) rules of the road - the 'culture' of driving. This includes driving in a way that is mindful of others - courteous, considerate and comprehensible.  

Driving as an emotional activity - maintaining the right frame of mind.

The study also sought opinions on the process of passing the driving test, which respondents felt contributed little to the experience of 'real' driving.

Click here to download a summary of the report.

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