INTRODUCTION

  The Police Federation of England and Wales represents 139,000 police officers from the rank of constable to the rank of chief inspector.

  We welcome the opportunity to respond to the consultation document "Transport Committee New Inquiry—Novice Drivers".

  In preparing this response we are cognisant of the fact that most of the proposals contained within the consultation document have already been tried and evaluated in other countries. It therefore appears to us that to provide anecdotal evidence is of little value compared to empirical evidence which is readily available from the implementation of such schemes around the world. We have therefore only provided anecdotal evidence where we feel that it may assist the debate.

1.  THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM

  Empirical evidence shows that novice drivers (newly qualified/inexperienced drivers) are significantly more likely to be involved in a collision than more experienced drivers. (DETR 2000, PACTS 2000 and Select Committee 1999) Although 17 to 24 year old ago group hold only 11% of licences they are involved in 20% of collisions involving death or serious injuries (DETR 1999) The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) is therefore broadly supportive of initiatives which attempt to address this serious problem.

Do young peoples attitudes to driving have a significant impact on the collision rates of young and novice drivers?

  We would make the point that "Young and Novice Drivers" seem to be considered as one simple group throughout the consultation paper, whereas, we believe the situation to be slightly more complex. An older "novice driver" (say 35 years old) will have some similarities to the young novice driver in that they will lack practical experience. As a consequence of this, they may have difficulty in dealing with sudden and unexpected events which happen to them whilst driving. Such problems often arise in the dark and/or in adverse weather conditions (eg unexpected obstacles in the roadway, actions of other road users, slippery road surfaces, high winds etc). However, the "older" novice driver is likely to have a much more positive attitude to road safety and an appropriate awareness of their own vulnerability.

  Our members (Police Officers) are only too aware that attitudes towards driving, and in particular risk taking, have a significant impact on safety and the likelihood of being involved in a collision. This is the case because attitudes influence behaviour and the manner of a persons driving will be adversely affected when they have a poor attitude to their personal safety and that of other road users. This problem is more acute in younger drivers (particularly males) who appear "blind" to their own fallibility. This often manifests itself in the form of "Thrill Seeking" which can result in young drivers driving too fast and taking risks (eg unsafe overtaking etc).

2.  DRIVER EDUCATION AND TESTING AND GRADUATED LICENSING

  Although we are generally supportive of the proposals, we are reluctant to express views for or against the specific proposals contained within the consultation paper. Our reason for adopting this response (as stated above) is that there is robust empirical evidence available (from around the world) which demonstrates what works and what does not work, in terms of reducing collisions. For example, limits on motorway driving and night driving formed part of a scheme introduced in Ontario, Canada during 1994. The scheme produced 27% decline in collisions amongst 16 to 19 year old drivers and dramatically reduced fatalities from 6.6 per 10,000 licensed drivers in 1993 to 1.8 in 1995. (Data—Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 2000)

  Schemes in France ("Appretissage") had no effect on collision rates whilst a "Probationary" scheme in Germany did demonstrate positive results in collision reduction (Lynam & Twisk 1995) Further to this, a whole range of schemes exist in Australia and New Zealand. Research by A.E. Drummond throws light on the relative merits and problems associated with some of these schemes.

  We would argue that the Government should cast a critical eye on research which already exists in respect of schemes operating around the world. They should then "Cherry Pick" the various elements which have been shown to be effective whilst ignoring those where data suggests that no benefit, in terms of collision reduction, is likely to be gained.

  Whilst PFEW is broadly supportive of a Graduated Licensing system we would make the following points:

(1)  We believe that it would be necessary for drivers to be legally obliged to carry their driving license for the scheme to be enforceable.

(2)  A more complex licensing system for novice drivers will require endorsement. We are concerned that low numbers of "Traffic Police Officers" will undermine enforcement activities. This is an issue that we have raised previously and which was acknowledged in 2006 Report into Road Policing published by the Transport Select Committee.