| An age-old debate |
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On the one hand the quintessence of the phase “You are only young once” accurately depicts a number of the behavioural actions of individuals of 17-25 years of age. After all, this age bracket encompasses a period in one’s life containing a dusting of intrigue, a pinch of discovery and an aura of invincibility in combination with the continual urge to adopt a carpe diem attitude. Unsurprisingly, a desire for risk-taking patterns of behaviour also translates to a “living for the moment” driving style and a common disregard for the consequences. In contrast, I feel the spirit of “I remember what it was like to be young” is fundamentally flawed. When adults claim to “remember what it was like back then” the young argue that “things were different back then” and indeed they were! I even worry about becoming out of touch with the youth these days! In the case of road safety”, one could indeed argue that technical developments have exacerbated the problem, nevertheless in the case of attitudes we are all too quick to forget what it was like to be an adolescent, leading us to adopt a reprimanding stance rather than providing a forum to listen and develop safe attitudes. In light of the fact that I am myself still classed as a young driver at age 23, I hit upon the idea that my own experiences of driving would provide a refreshing account. It is no easy feat to confront and criticise your own driving skills, yet my personal journey has completely revolutionised my outlook with regards to road safety behaviour. When considering my personal perception of the driving skills I possessed, I feigned surprise that I could be regarded in the same bracket as some of my contemporaries in relation to safety. After all, I was a good driver! To date, I had not been involved in an accident or incurred any driving violations. Yet, after careful deliberation I began to comprehend that my place as a “safe driver” was in no means secure. Statistics demonstrate a direct association between accident involvement and average mileage, which relates to time spent on the roads and risk exposure. Therefore the crux of the problem, I believe, is that we as individuals fail to accurately comprehend our skills and the outcomes they evoke. Far too many of us believe we are excellent drivers when in relation to safety in fact we are not. Therefore, the take-home message states that we should ALL review how safe and responsible we truly are. Demonstrating the case in point with a personal example, I felt, until recently, it was acceptable to speed as long as I was in control. However, my now-enhanced knowledge leads me to suspect that one can never guarantee to be in complete control of the car. I realised that I too, like many of my colleagues held an unrealistic perception of risk that needed confronting. An erroneous appraisal of threat also appears to be very prominent in my age group, leading to inappropriate speed choice and an increased likelihood of collision involvement. However, when young we fail to understand that when our behaviour is similar to that of our peers it does not automatically make it acceptable. Only by taking a step back to consider that those with more experience do in fact know better can we admit we are wrong. Consequently, we must all absolve to the fact that you can never know ALL there is to know. Driving is a life skill and a dangerous one at that! Psychological research classifies aspects of personal choice, motivation and intention as crucial factors thus continuing to target attitude change rather than skill deficits. Sensation-seeking characteristics and anti-social tendencies affect a propensity to commit violations such as speeding, which are in turn predictive of accident involvement. Accident analysis reveals in the young, single vehicle accidents involving a loss of control and excess speed for conditions, while accidents in the hours of darkness feature greatly. Highlighting that the driving style commonly adopted combined with leisure and enjoyment usage aggravate the problem. Deliberate speeding and recklessness are conscious choices made according to a motivation to violate, not due to a skill deficit per se. It is well-documented that drivers aged between 17-21 regard driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs as a serious offence, while speeding is considered in a different vein. Social environment and influence of significant others are known to form key aspects of subsequent behaviour. Sex differences reveal increased risk taking behaviour in males, correlated to factors such as confidence, competitiveness and peer influence. When considering the influence of my peers, I am not easily manipulated by opposing opinions. For example, I now refuse to speak with my friends when they are driving and using a mobile; I have become obsessed with seat belt usage and I even feel the need to discuss the merits of speed cameras in accident black-spots when down the pub on a Friday night! However, generally it is much easier to follow the herd in regard to controversial issues such as speeding. Initiating discussion groups in an educational setting thus provides a valuable platform to tackle such issues as a group. Our parents perhaps constitute the ultimate role model for attitude formation. A somewhat taboo subject considering the continual struggle to justify whether parental input is beneficial to safety and responsibility or harmful in terms of acquiring bad habits. It is crucially important that they should take a safety conscious active role in both our initial learning and our subsequent behaviour on the roads. Public figures also exert a powerful influence. Recent news stories illustrate that from pop stars through to footballers, bad examples of speeding and drink driving continue to be set. Poor behaviour in the public eye can lead to dire consequences as adolescents are at their most impressionable in relation to anti-social behaviour and risk-seeking tendencies. It is equally imperative that the media portrayal of elements of driving continues to emphasise the growing concern this issue commands particularly when road traffic accidents are now the biggest single killer of 17-21-yearolds. However, changing such deeply routed psychological constructs as attitudes in reality is extremely difficult to achieve and existing solutions still fail to make drastic headway. “The theory of planned behaviour” offers the most influential theoretical account of the relationship between attitudes and behaviour and conveys associations extending to intentions, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. Long-term change can only arise from evoking a desire to change within the individual, rather than using a method of enforcement that commands change. For this reason, a more successful option would be to concentrate on preventative action to avert poor safety attitudes forming in the first place.
Graduated licensing is a possible intervention that adds an increased layer of supervision. Staggered progression aims to encourage the development of safer driving practices. However, on the down side, regulations may not be easy to police and enforce and imposing step-like progression may not encourage added responsibility but just prolong the inevitable. Hence, the best possible plan of attack is to develop compulsory education. The primary aims would be to cultivate good vehicle handling skills and hazard perception knowledge, in tandem with a respect for the law and the safety of the self and other road users. Safe drivers understand why limits are in place and the reasons for abiding with them. To return to my original point, we must try to understand that the lifestyle of the youth supports a risk-taking environment across numerous disciplines. Other dangerous health practices such as smoking and drug taking all begin at similar ages. Schools should tackle these unsafe practices in unison, including road safety alongside drug and sex education to challenge an overall concept of risk. Methods of restriction and punishment often encourage rebellion and therefore do nothing to help matters. Meanwhile, well-structured education and insight into the dangers, risks and consequences of adopting these behaviours stimulates thought from within the individual and thus provides the most valuable method to help the youth to make their own informed choices. There are no doubt hurdles facing the introduction of compulsory education. However programmes already in circulation offer valuable insights in combination with good initiatives such as crash reconstruction that deliver a strong messages concerning the human and financial costs of road collisions. The potential value of educating young minds is astounding and I fail to see how we can aim to make any dramatic inroads towards reducing young driver accidents in line with the Government’s 2010 safety strategy goals without it. For details of the Young Drivers Research Programme, please contact Sarah Mercer at info@roadsafe.com |
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