Young drivers
It is also stated that young drivers are overrepresented in the accident figures fact sheet that the Road Safety Scientific Research Foundation drew up in 2021. According to the independent institute, an average of 92 deaths were recorded annually from accidents involving young drivers between 2015 and 2019. The risk for this group is 4.5 times higher than for more experienced drivers and is highest in the first year after obtaining a driver’s license.
According to SWOV, young people are more inclined to take risks. They drive more often under the influence of drugs or when they are tired. They are also more likely to be distracted by, for example, their telephone. Furthermore, they are relatively sensitive to peer pressure and they generally show less insight into traffic situations, making it difficult for them to anticipate possible dangers.
SWOV writes that the topics of risk acceptance, self-insight and resilience against peer pressure are difficult or impossible to test, but do play a role in road safety. The institute sees opportunities in additional training after the driving test. This allows more attention to be paid to insight and hazard recognition, and to risk behavior and mental resilience. It may also make sense to use digital systems that give drivers feedback on driving behavior and that block incoming messages in their phones while they are still on the road.
Source: SWOV