Young Drivers Need To Experience The Effects Of Bad Driving

Originally uploaded by ardenwray

It's the weekend again and another terrible accident

involving a young person.

Are you a parent that dreads the weekends when they arrive because you know that your son or daughter will be out with friends. Are you an over protective mother like me, as my

daughter calls me. I always have this dreadful feeling that if I don't tell her to drive safely that something terrible will happen.

I know I'm being stupid but its just how I feel. I have said it to her from day one of getting her license.

I remember when she had finished school. Heading to Adelaide to celebrate schoolies week as we call it here in Australia. I didn't get to see her before she left so did not get to say it and I couldn't concentrate at work until I had phoned her. Once I had

spoken to her and said it, I was fine.

Statistics have shown that nearly one third of people killed on Australian roads are aged between
16 and 25 yrs. (Department
of Infrastructure Transport Regional Development and Local

Government)

Road crashes are the biggest killers of young people.
In 1987 110 people were killed in crashes aged 18-25. The total has declined from then. In 2008,
38 young people died due to crashes.
This is a huge drop but is still to many when your a parent.
Out of these 38 young drivers 74% were male, 74% were in
a single car crash, 55% occured between
8pm and 6am, 26% on Saturday, 24% on Sunday and 13% a Friday. (weekend)

Distractions are a main concern, along with speed. Results published in the International Journal, Injury Prevention say distractions cause 1 in 5 crashes in drivers.
An Australian study showed that drivers engage in driver distraction on average once every 6 minutes.
Mobile phones, ipods, CD players and other friends are major distractions
and young drivers are almost 5 times more likely to
 use a phone while driving according to
(The George Institute For International Health and the University of WA).

Cars these days are made to go way to fast. We are not racing car drivers, why do we need a car that does 280klm hour.

I really don't know what the solution is. Young drivers need help to understand what the consequences will be if they act bad behind the wheel of a car.
Perhaps schools should have a year long course for these young kids. It should be complusory and during the course they perhaps should talk to people involved in accidents at hospitals and prisons. Talk with parents who have lost loved ones.

I feel we need to get it into their heads what the actual result is from making a silly
decision that could ruin their entire life.

teens