On behalf of the Committee and Members of the Under 17 Car Club we submit the attached evidence to your inquiry. In addition and by way of supplementary evidence, we have provided under separate cover a brief BBC Television news report on DVD. A transcript of this news report is provided as an Annex.

  The evidence we provide draws on significant experience (30 years) of training pre-licence age drivers (11 to 17 year olds) and reflects some initial findings of a recent survey of ex-Club Members now on the road the results of which are currently being analysed. It is our contention that high quality, organised, consistent and well structured pre-licence driver training, coupled to adoption of earlier, observed, on-road driver training would have significant impact in reducing accident rates amongst novice drivers.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  Based on extensive experience combined with a recent, anonymised survey of ex-Club Members, the full results of which are still under evaluation, we offer the following as evidence of the value of our approach:

  We contend that high quality, organised, consistent and well structured pre-licence driver training, coupled to adoption of earlier, observed, on-road driver training would have a significant impact in reducing both KSI and conviction rates amongst novice drivers.

  Our principal recommendations to this inquiry are:

  1.  A stronger developmental focus on:

Attitudes, Behaviour, Observation Skills, Risk Assessment coupled to basic driving commentary.

  2.  Extended supervised development for novice drivers through:

Accompanied driving from age 16, incentive based graduated licensing post DSA test, skid training.

  3.  Development of a national pre-licence driver training scheme.

  4.  Emphasis by ADIs/Driving Schools on low accident rates rather than test pass rates.

  5.  Maintain the 6 penalty point legislation for novice drivers who have not undertaken advanced tuition and passed an advanced test.

  6.  Not to introduce lower speed limits for novice drivers due to the impracticality of effective enforcement.

1.  INTRODUCTION

  1.1  Paul Silverwood and John Beckford are respectively the President and Vice-President of The Under 17 Car Club. Both are actively engaged in the development and delivery of its pre-licence driver training scheme and have personally contributed to the development of around 1,500 young members over 12 years. Both are Members of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), drive significant distances in connection with their occupations and are fathers to four young, male drivers.

  1.2  Since 1976, The Under 17 Car Club (www.under17-carclub.co.uk) with the active engagement of Members' parents has taught over 3,000 pre-licence age children to drive. The Club has developed a tuition and assessment process which develops responsible attitudes, technical skills and a positive road safety ethos. Membership is open to young people from all backgrounds from the age of 11. The Club evolves its work to meet the changing needs and challenges of young drivers and engages with ADIs, Police and Emergency Service Drivers, RoSPA and the IAM in setting very high standards. Members develop their driving skills through a rigorously assessed grading system, aspiring to a standard equivalent to the IAM/RoSPA advanced driving tests with progress dependent on a balance of responsible attitude and technical skill.

  1.3  The Club's Members experience driving all types of vehicles and undertake a varied, enjoyable and challenging programme. Extending knowledge beyond basic skills training, Members undertake a series of driving theory, hazard awareness, mechanical knowledge and close maneuverability tests to further their understanding of vehicle dynamics and raise their awareness of the performance and handling limitations of both themselves and the vehicles.

  These young drivers, on average, enjoy three years driving in a private, secure and managed environment in which they develop a positive road safety ethos, a defensive and risk averse driving attitude and practise the technical skills required to drive with care and consideration on the public roads. The skills developed include skid training, first aid and advanced handling involving both a wide range of vehicles and, in appropriate circumstances, motorway speed driving.

  1.4  Based on our recent survey of ex-Club Members (the full results of which are still under evaluation), we offer as evidence of the value of this approach the following:

The yearly accident rate for ex-Club Members is 1 in 10 compared with the national average for novice drivers of 1 in 5.

The first attempt pass rate for ex-Club Members (all grades) in the DSA Practical Driving Test is 80% compared with a national average of 47%. This pass rate rises to 92% for Members who achieved Grade 1 or X (the two highest Grades which require at least three years membership to attain).

We contend that high quality, organised, consistent and well structured pre-licence driver training, coupled to adoption of earlier, observed, on-road driver training would have a significant impact in reducing both KSI and conviction rates amongst novice drivers.

2.  THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM

To what extent novice drivers are more at risk of being involved in a collision than other drivers, and whether this is primarily a consequence of age, inexperience or a combination of both

  2.1  Publicly available information (TRL/DSA/Insurance Companies) confirms that novice drivers are at greater risk of collision than other drivers. Either inexperience or age will be a significant factor in this risk—and where they are both present in a young novice driver they are potentially combinative rather than additive in effect.

  2.2  Addressing this issue is not, for us, primarily about developing greater technical skill, but about educating novice drivers such that they both comprehend the level of risk associated with driving and develop a risk-averse attitude when behind the wheel.

  2.3  Key deficiencies in the skill development of young drivers include their observation skills, attitudinal response to presenting risk, risk evaluation and comprehension of the dynamic limitations of their vehicle (particularly when fully laden). These deficiencies can be, at least partly, overcome through extended experience and further development of skills and attitudes.

3.  ATTITUDES

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

  3.1  Absolutely. Combining lack of skill beyond the level required to satisfy the requirements of the DSA Test with the youthful tendency to "show off" coupled to the handling and performance limitations of the vehicles typically driven by this age group, collisions are inevitable.

  3.2  There is a cultural expectation that once a licence is acquired, young drivers (perhaps particularly males) will demonstrate their new skill to their peers. This age group focuses on the "right to drive" with limited acknowledgement of the associated responsibility to themselves or other road users. Young and novice drivers do value their licences and, while the "six-point" rule for novice drivers acts as a limited constraint on poor road behaviour, the low potential for being caught does inhibit its effectiveness and does not deal with inadequate driving which is, perhaps, not illegal. Our investigations suggest that Ex-Members have a much greater awareness and positive attitude to risk, safety and other road users and that they value their licences more highly than their peers. This seems to be rooted in positive engagement with driving from a younger age and specifically recognises driving as a privilege, not a right. Supportive adult engagement with their driving development is also important.

  3.3  Whilst enhanced skills and risk-averse attitudes would both serve to reduce collision rates, it is our view that the greatest benefit would arise from the development of a risk-averse driving culture. Discussions with ex-Members of the Car Club and their peers reveal that the extended learning period (average three years, and up to five years in some cases) for Members, coupled to the consistent focus on safe attitudes and the broader skill development regime, generates both a higher level of skill and a significantly safer attitude on the road. Comparative collision rates are 1 in 10 for ex-Members compared with the 1 in 5 average. (Source: www.17to40.co.uk).

  3.4  Reflecting our investigations, a typical course with an ADI prior to a DSA test will focus on the technical skills required to actually handle the vehicle with limited opportunity for development of sustainably defensive, risk-averse attitudes. The examiner in a time limited DSA test, whilst undoubtedly evaluating attitudes, cannot be expected to fully determine how the candidate is likely to behave when not being examined. It is likely that candidates understand the attitudes that must be demonstrated in order to pass the test and are capable of doing so for its duration.

  3.5  The general focus of promotions by Driving Schools is on the DSA test pass rate. By implication, ADIs and Driving Schools are "teaching the test". It may be that a shift in the emphasis of relevant promotional material would be a desirable pre-cursor to a shift in collision rates. Emphasis by Schools on a low collision/accident rate of its pupils post-DSA test would perhaps be preferable to current practice.

4.  DRIVER EDUCATION AND TESTING

How effective are the existing practical and theory driving tests at identifying safe driving skills and behaviour? Has the hazard perception test achieved its objectives?

  4.1  The DSA practical test can only meaningfully enable assessment of basic safe technical driving skills although awareness of risk can also be assessed. The test cannot, by definition, attempt the assessment of unsupervised driver behaviour. The hazard perception test does attempt to evaluate driver awareness of and response to presenting risks but does not perhaps adequately reflect the realities of the road. It may be that this could be complemented by risk assessment based commentary driving during the Practical Test.

  4.2  Drivers who are "taught the test" will be tutored to do those things which the examiner requires and not do those things which should be avoided—this is not necessarily an indicator of behaviour when unsupervised. The necessary post-test absence of continuous observation means that consistency of behaviour is in the control only of the novice driver.

  4.3  It seems that some form of graduated or limited licensing associated with secondary or advanced tests after a specified time period or mileage and coupled to post-test tuition would provide significant benefits.

5.  DRIVER EDUCATION AND TESTING

Could changes to driver education and testing help to make novice drivers safer?

  5.1  Our experience suggests that a number of changes to driver training could be beneficial. Commencement of training at an earlier age (eg 16) and providing for a longer period of supervised driving pre-test would be beneficial and would provide the opportunity for longer term behaviour and attitude development and assessment.

  5.2  This could also provide the opportunity to extend the range of technical skills taught to include, for example, compulsory skid tuition, motorway driving, night driving and "green" driving tuition. This may have implications for the training and qualification regime of ADIs and suggests that at least some on-road driving tuition may need to be compulsorily placed in the hands of qualified professionals.

  5.3  There would of course be significant cost implications for young and novice drivers in extending the period of pre-test training. Whilst it may be considered by some that the cost is not currently particularly high, further increasing it may lead those who are financially weak to avoid the process altogether and simply drive without a licence.

6.  GRADUATED LICENSING

Graduated licensing schemes involve the phasing-in of driving privileges. Typically, a gradated licensing scheme imposes additional restrictions on new drivers either for a fixed period of time after passing their test or until a second test is passed

  6.1  Introduction of post-test training leading to an IAM/RoSPA equivalent standard of test would undoubtedly be beneficial. Novice drivers could be encouraged to pursue such training either through incentives or compulsion. Either approach could be linked to insurance costs, vehicle size or power limitations, restrictions on passengers and associated with compulsory use of a visible indicator eg a "P" (Provisional), "N" (Novice) or "R" (Restricted) plate.

  6.2  An incentive based approach would be preferable, in our view, to adopting limitations based on legal compulsion. Both approaches present compliance and policing difficulties, though the individual incentive approach is more likely to engage the mind of the novice driver as it has implications for personal finances and would, in effect, be policed by the insurance companies.

  6.3  Blending the two approaches, it may be useful to revise the two year six penalty point rule such that drivers who have not undertaken approved further training remain on that limit and this could easily be combined with the display of a "P", "N" or "R" plate on the vehicle. Taken together these would probably act as a strong incentive to take further training.

  6.4  Except in the case of a lower speed limit which would create its own dangers, each of the individual suggestions listed in the question has merits but all suffer the same limitation of being difficult to enforce in the absence of visible policing and the potential absence of any visible external restriction indicators on the vehicle.

  6.5  Ultimately, safe driving can only be achieved when the individual driver takes responsibility for her or himself, any passengers and other road users. This cannot be legislated into existence but can be achieved through the development of a driving culture amongst novice drivers in which peer pressure demands safety. Discussions with ex-Members of the Club show that their friends prefer to be driven by them, because they feel safe—and the ex-Members themselves regularly refuse to travel with other novice drivers (despite them having passed the DSA test) because they feel their safety is compromised.

7.  CHANGES TO THE DRIVING AGE

Would there be any benefit in changing the minimum age at which a provisional or full licence may be obtained?

  7.1  Yes. We believe that, in concert with some other countries, the provisional driving licence should be available at age 16 and associated with a longer term training programme for novice drivers of at least one year. As at present, provisional licence holders should not be eligible to undertake the DSA test until at least age 17 and eligibility for the test should be associated with having undertaken some form of approved training.

  7.2  Raising the minimum age would, in our view, would have no positive benefit and, indeed, considerable negative impact, not least of which would be an increase in joy-riding.

8.  DIFFERENT TREATMENT OF OFFENDERS

Drivers face disqualification and re-testing if they acquire six penalty points during the first two years after taking their test. Could further, similar provisions for the different treatment of novice drivers who offend be introduced?

  8.1  The six penalty point rule is quite a powerful incentive to good driver behaviour although the risk of getting caught driving illegally is relatively low.

  8.2  Consistent with earlier remarks, in order to encourage novice drivers to undertake post-test training, it is suggested that drivers who have not undertaken such training should continue to be regarded, legally, as novice drivers for the purposes of penalty points and re-testing. Development from "novice" to "advanced" driver is not simply a function of experience and time on the road but of active engagement in further self-development. This is an indicator of the attitude of mind necessary for safe driving, representing acknowledgement of the limitations of basic training and the need to learn more.

  8.3  The perception that the novice driver is invincible and has the right to drive as soon as he or she is 17 and passes the DSA test needs to be altered. Developing the understanding that the DSA test is only an initial stage in their driving training and experience will go a long way to reducing novice driver KSIs. It is essential that the responsibilities and obligations of the driver are asserted to the same extent as the rights.

15 December 2006