Young and novice drivers

Research conducted by the insurance industry shows that a significant proportion of older novice drivers—that is, drivers aged above 25 who are relatively new to driving—are involved in crashes. However, this is difficult to verify because official statistics are not recorded for this particular demographic. This absence of data is particularly disappointing given that our predecessor Committee recommended in 2007 that the Department, in collaboration with the police, “should collect the data necessary to understand the scale and nature of the crash involvement of novice drivers, independently of young drivers”.

The Department should commission a study of crash rates for older novice drivers and how the driver’s experience level contributes to these crashes. This would allow the Department to understand better the risks around older novice drivers and whether to monitor and target more actively crash rates amongst this demographic. (paragraph 33) Reforms to the learning and testing process

Every individual’s circumstances and natural skill, aptitude and experience and level of competence to drive a car or vehicle is varied. However, we are concerned that intensive driving courses may not provide learner drivers with adequate driving experience prior to passing their test. We recommend that the Department conducts research to investigate whether drivers who pass their test after undertaking intensive driving lessons are at increased risk of being involved in a crash in their first two years of driving. (Paragraph 42) Conclusion

There have been welcome reductions in the overall numbers of young and novice drivers killed and seriously injured in road traffic crashes over the past 15 years. However, this progress has now stalled. We believe that improvements to the safety of vehicles and the learning and testing process, as well as the increasing use of telematic technology by young drivers, have helped improve safety rates. However, young drivers are still sadly over-represented in the statistics. It is a tragic fact that in 2019 88 young drivers lost their lives on the roads of Great Britain.

There are a number of factors that contribute to the higher proportional rates of young drivers in the casualty statistics. We welcome the Department for Transport’s Driver 2020 research project which is exploring several technological and educational based measures targeted at improving the safety rates for young drivers.

We recommend that the Department for Transport provides an update to the Committee on progress with the Driver 2020 project by July 2021. (Paragraph 81) Road safety: young and novice drivers 33

As with other age groups, rural roads pose a particular risk for young drivers, with three quarters of young driver fatalities taking place on those roads. We welcome the Department’s 2019 commitment to establish a Rural Roads Working Group although it is unsatisfactory that, by October 2020, that group had still not met.

In its Response to this Report, the Department should provide further information about the Rural Roads Working Group, including its membership, scope, objectives, and when and how often it plans to meet.

We recognise the improvements that the Department and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency have made to the learning and testing process in recent years. However, we are concerned that the current learning process does not fully equip learner drivers with sufficient experience of driving a vehicle in a range of different situations. We therefore welcome the Department’s commitment to pilot a system of “modular learning” with compulsory driver training in different conditions, due to start later in 2021 should restrictions in place for the coronavirus pandemic be eased.

In its response to this Report, the Department should provide an outline of the criteria that will be used to judge the effectiveness of its modular learning pilot. The Department should update us by October 2021 on its assessment of the pilot against those criteria.

As well as the practical test, the theory test can play an important role in helping to develop learner drivers’ understanding of driving in different situations. We recommend that the Department and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency develop the theory test to ensure it includes adequate questioning on driving at night and while carrying passengers.

Given there is some evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of GDL but significant concerns about its impact, particularly from young people themselves, the Department should resume the study into the social and economic consequences of GDL which it committed to in its 2019 Road Safety Statement. This would provide much needed evidence on the likely impacts.

The potential implementation of GDL in Northern Ireland presents the Department with an opportunity to monitor the impact of such a system within one part of the UK. By October 2021, we recommend that the Department liaise with the Northern Ireland Executive and provide us with interim findings and the Department’s conclusions on the impact of GDL in Northern Ireland.

We welcome the fact that the Department’s Driver 2020 programme will explore the potential for telematic technology to improve driver safety. We are mindful, however, about the rights and freedoms of the individual and the privacy of their data.

As part of the progress update on Driver 2020 we have requested by July 2021, the Department should outline the progress and preliminary findings from its research into the effectiveness of telematic technology to improve road safety. (Paragraph 91) 34 Road safety: young and novice drivers