Recommendations & Conclusions
6 items
1
Conclusion
Fourth report: Road safety: young and n…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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”.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the difficulty in identifying novice drivers from existing data and that bespoke research would be resource-intensive. They state they already know age and inexperience contribute to collision risk for young drivers, and evidence suggests older novice drivers are less risky, but will …
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Department for Transport
4
Conclusion
Fourth report: Road safety: young and n…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the committee's observations by referencing the Driver 2020 project, for which a progress update can be provided by July 2021, with initial findings on novice driver interventions expected in Spring 2022. They also note a feasibility study on combining telematics data has …
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Department for Transport
5
Conclusion
Fourth report: Road safety: young and n…
Acknowledged
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.
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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.
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Government response AI summary
The government provides an update on the Driver 2020 project timeline, stating that initial findings will be available in Spring 2022 and final findings in early 2023, while noting a related telematics feasibility study has not progressed.
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Department for Transport
7
Conclusion
Fourth report: Road safety: young and n…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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.
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Government response AI summary
The government states that the Rural Roads Working Group was placed on hold in November 2020 and officially paused due to Departmental resourcing being prioritised for COVID and Brexit/Winter Response work.
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Department for Transport
9
Conclusion
Fourth report: Road safety: young and n…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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.
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Government response AI summary
The government provides details of the Modular Learning project, including its objectives to improve risk perceptions and equip pupils to manage risks. They confirm that due to COVID-19, the trial's start is delayed until late Spring 2021, with an assessment of its effectiveness now anticipated …
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Department for Transport
14
Conclusion
Fourth report: Road safety: young and n…
Acknowledged
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.
Government response AI summary
The government reiterates its welcome for the Driver 2020 programme and its aim to explore telematic technology for road safety, noting that final findings are expected in early 2023.
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Department for Transport