Young Drivers Studied

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32073, 22 August 1969, Page 9

Young Drivers Studied

Statistics show that many i of the drivers who have I amassed a serious record of ! demerit points for traffic ! offences are young men i aged between 15 and 25. For 1 this reason a study of these 1 drivers has recently been I made by the Ministry of I Transport. ■ One of the conclusions of ithe study was that efforts to organise young men of the

‘type who offended into groups; I where they could express, their interest m motor; vehicles constructively—suchi las car dubs, motor-cycle: clubs and go-kart clubs—might be of assistance in re-1 during the problem. Properly constituted clubs! of this type throughout Newi Zealand provided an opportunity for young people to improve and develop mechanical and driving skills, the Ministry said. Drivers aged between 15 and 25 were involved in Mcci-i dents about three times as! often as older drivers, and; were slightly more often, primarily to blame for the; , accidents, the Ministry found.! I Part of this might be caused Iby inexperience, but it was unlikely tins was the mainreason as the peak figures occurred in the 19-year-old bracket, when many drivers had three or four years of I experience.

The study included about I equal numbers of drivers with and without offence records. The offenders had averaged

about three convictions each and had been involved in an average of one accident where someone was hurt or damage of more than $5O occurred. The group averaged 250 miles of driving a week. Although the group with no convictions had less than half as many accidents, they also drove an avenge of only 100 miles a week, so the accident rate was similar when related to miles driven. The offenders’ greater accident record seemed mainly the result of -spending more time on the road.

A difference between the itwo groups was evident in the I pattern of vehicle ownership. lAH the offenders (except two who were disqualified) owned vehicles. The offenders had possessed an average of almost three vehicles each, which was twice the avenge number of vehicles that the non-offender group had possessed.

Many of the offenders showed a keen interest in 1 motor vehicles and it seemed likely that the motor vehicle played a more prominent part in the lives of these young 1 men than it did for most nonoffenders. the Ministry said. MORE AGGRESSIVE

L Both groups were invited Jto participate in a questionr'naire and the results of thia showed that the offender* t were inclined to be slightly i more aggressive and opposed to authority than the nonj offenders. On the other hand they showed a greater need to have others provide help in trouble, to accept leadership of others, and to want to achieve something worthwhile. The offenders had, on average, less education than the non-offenders. They tended to be less sensitive to others, and less indined to analyse their own motives and feelings. In some cases they bad significant inferiority feelings and their enjoyment of motor vehicles might be in part because of the compensating feel of power and independence that mastery of the machine gave. These characteristics suggested that efforts to organise ! young men of this type into i groups where they could express their interest in motor [vehicles constructively, might swell be fruitful. There were salready a number of such

clubs and organisations in New Zealand and the development of others could well be beneficial. A final point made in the study was that probably the greatest influence on the driving style and habits of a young driver was the way his parents drove. In many other areas of behaviour a teenager copied his contemporaries, but his father was probably the model for his driving. If his father was aggressive, impatient, and Intolerant of others on the road the youth would probably Tend to be so too. It was probable that as i these young offenders devel-

i oped, other interests and responsibilities would absorb i their time, and their vehicles would cease to be of prime i Importance. It was possible, ! too, that the early experience of road accident* would have ; taught a practical lesson that ' would have a positive influ- • ence on later driving behav- ' lour, the Ministry Mid. "Road safety activities directed to this group of drivers should be aimed at encouraging earlier growth of responsibility, and in particular at encouraging a positive and helpful role in society which will make use of the driving and mechanical skills iof these young people."