Sponsored by
What does it takes to be a good driver?
With the training of young motorists currently under review by the Government, Jemma Walton asks what it takes to be a good driver.
With the training of young motorists currently under review by the Government, Jemma Walton asks what it takes to be a good driver.Last year 105 people were killed or seriously injured on Peterborough's roads.
Which is slightly more than in 2006, when the number was 103.
Road experts estimate that 95 per cent of accidents these people were involved in were caused by human error.
A tiny five per cent were caused by vehicle problems or poor traffic conditions.
Humbling stuff. And stuff that has never been more pertinent, given that the Government is currently debating how and what learner drivers should be taught – because of those 103 accidents, a good proportion of them were young drivers.
Across the country, statistics show that young people – those aged between 17 and 25 – are more likely to be involved in a crash than any other group.
The Government is worried, and considering a range of changes to the way drivers are trained, such as making the driving test harder and covering a wider range of driving circumstances, such as driving at night.
Related: The ET's Jemma Walton and Rowland Hobson find out just how good their driving is 22 May 2008
-------------------------------
"Not all young drivers are bad drivers," said Beverley Jones, Peterborough City Council's road safety team manager.
"Some older people don't drive very well, while some young drivers are safe from the word go.
"Often a young driver will be in an accident that's not their fault – someone will do some- thing on the road, and they won't have the experience to deal with it.
"But I think it's fair to say that the more experience you have behind the wheel, the better equipped you will be to deal with any problems than arise.
"Having said that, there are things that we can all think about when we get in a car. Inappropriate speed causes thou- sands of accidents across the country each year, for example.
"You might have been driving for 40 years, but speeding can always be dangerous."
Mrs Jones said that any advanced driving course, be it one offered by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists), by RoSPA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents), or by the DVLA, such as Pass Plus, which is set of six advanced lessons for drivers who have just passed their test, is a good idea for any driver.
"The more experience you have, and the more hours you have spent with an instructor, the better," she said.
As well as inexperience, Beverley said that the attitude of young drivers often left them open to suffering accidents.
"We work really hard here to develop a positive, safe attitude towards driving in young people," she said. "We go into schools and colleges and give day-long sessions on road safety with a lot of other partners, including the police, the fire service and paramedics.
"Those people will explain what they do in the course of their job, and talk about the accidents they have been called to – hearing about what it's like to cut someone out of a car crash really does make a teenager think twice before getting behind a wheel.
"We have also mocked up car accidents in the past, so young people can really see the effects of a car accident."
"I would like to see the driving test become more stringent, I would like to see learners be taken out driving at night, for example.
"As a team, we are very interested in the changes the Government will be making, and will be monitoring them closely.
"For us, a driver can never be too safe."
Plans to shake-up driving tests
More than 14 young drivers and their passengers are killed every week in Britain.
With this in mind the Government has plans to shake up the way new drivers are trained, although have rejected plans to restrict young drivers' licences, including banning them from carrying young passengers late at night.
Instead it is proposed that that learner drivers should be forced to have professional tuition and to prove that they have acquired key skills before taking Under the Government's proposals, learners will develop skills in modules that will include basic skills such as parallel parking, as well as using high-speed roads and driving at night.
Tips for being safe on the roads
Beverley Jones, Peterborough City Council's road safety team manager, gives her tips for the parents of young people who have just passed their driving test:
1. Keep your head screwed on when it comes to buying a car.
"There are two elements to this," said Mrs Jones.
"On the one hand, some people can afford really fast, fancy cars, and on the other some young people have to buy a second hand car, and can be made vulnerable that way.
"Make sure you buy your child, or your child buys, a safe car suitable for their needs and level of experience from a reputable dealer."
2. Be aware of peer pressure, and talk about it with your kids.
They might think it's OK to cram all their friends in the back of their car on a Saturday night, when you know better.
3. Some young people know that drink driving is banned, but think it's OK to drive while on drugs. It's not. It's a good idea to tackle this with them.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Peterborough
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Heavy snow
Temperature: -7 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -5 C to -0 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.