Five things the evidence tells us about reducing young driver risk

Parents, hazard perception, insight into risk, technology and graduated approaches – Dr Neale Kinnear highlights five areas where decades of research can help inform efforts to better protect young and novice drivers.

Young and novice driver safety has been studied extensively around the world. So what does that evidence tell us about where action can make the greatest difference?

Dr Neale Kinnear, a leading road safety researcher and behavioural scientist, has spent more than two decades researching driver behaviour, novice driver safety and evidence-based approaches to reducing road casualties. His work has helped shape road safety policy and practice in the UK and internationally.

In a recent presentation for Protect Young Drivers, he explored the factors that place young drivers at greatest risk and highlighted five areas that consistently emerge from the evidence.

1. Give learners more – and more varied – experience

One of the clearest findings from international research is the importance of gaining protected experience before and during the early stages of independent driving.

Dr Kinnear stressed that it is not simply the number of hours spent behind the wheel that matters, but the variety of experience learners gain – encountering different roads, conditions and situations while they still have the support of an experienced supervising driver. He said: “What we know works is gaining more on-road practice. But it isn’t simply about accumulating hours. Variation in that experience is crucial.”

International approaches differ. Sweden places considerable emphasis on extended supervised learning, while Australia, New Zealand and many US states use forms of Graduated Driving Licensing (GDL) to manage exposure to higher-risk situations during the novice period.

The principle is the same: build experience gradually and manage risk while a new driver is still developing the skills to drive.

2. Recognise the influence of parents and carers

Learning to drive does not begin and end with the professional driving instructor.

Studies have shown that parents and carers can have a significant influence before, during and after the learning-to-drive process – from providing opportunities for varied practice to helping young people navigate the particularly high-risk period after they pass their test.

That influence can also extend to the example adults set through their own driving and the conversations families have about issues such as passengers, night-time driving, distraction and speed.

Recognising parents as part of the solution – and giving them the information and tools to support young drivers effectively – should therefore form an important part of efforts to reduce young driver risk.

3. Develop hazard perception and anticipation

Passing the practical driving test demonstrates a minimum level of competence. But safe driving requires much more than being able to control a vehicle and respond to an immediate hazard.

Experienced drivers become better at anticipating what might happen next. Developing hazard perception skills is critical for novice drivers to recognise potentially dangerous situations earlier, understand how risks are developing and take appropriate action before a situation becomes critical.

This means thinking beyond simply preparing young people to pass a test and considering how ongoing learning can develop the higher-order skills needed for safe independent driving.

4. Support young people to gain insight into their own risk

Young drivers face a combination of inexperience and developmental factors that can increase their vulnerability.

Dr Kinnear described how late adolescence is associated with a greater propensity for sensation seeking and impulsive decision-making generally, not just when driving.

Young people generally already know the risks and there is little point in simply telling them to “be careful”. Effective interventions help them understand why particular situations increase their risk, identify their limitations and give them practical strategies for managing them.

That distinction matters because young driver safety is not simply about knowledge of the Highway Code or vehicle control. It is also about decision-making, self-awareness and managing risk.

5. Make better use of telematics and technology

Technology provides another opportunity to help young drivers develop safer behaviours.

Telematics can provide personalised feedback about driving and help young people – and potentially their parents – identify patterns and behaviours that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Used well, technology can support the learning process rather than simply monitor it, reinforcing safer habits as drivers gain experience.

The important principle is that technology should do more than measure driving. It should be designed around a clear behavioural purpose: what are we trying to change, how will the technology help change it, and why should that reduce risk?

A public health issue

Dr Kinnear also highlighted an important point about who is affected by young driver collisions.

Young drivers remain disproportionately represented in fatal and serious collisions despite driving substantially fewer miles than the average driver. But the consequences extend far beyond the person behind the wheel. He said:

“The majority of those killed or injured in crashes involving a young driver are other road users. They are passengers, other drivers, cyclists, pedestrians... and that’s really important because that frames this as a public health issue.”

This changes the way we should think about young driver safety. Reducing young driver risk is not simply about protecting one particular group of drivers – it protects everyone who shares the road with them.

Turning evidence into action

Perhaps the most important message from Dr Kinnear’s presentation was that there is already a substantial international evidence base on young driver safety.

No single intervention will solve the problem. But decades of research provide a much clearer understanding of the mechanisms that increase risk – and the approaches that can help address them.

The challenge is therefore to ensure that new campaigns, education, training and policy interventions can demonstrate how they are addressing those mechanisms.

As Dr Kinnear put it: “Anything we do should have a logic map back to one of these mechanisms; that is what is going to make the difference.”

Dr Kinnear is working with colleagues to develop a shared evidence framework to support organisations working to reduce young driver deaths and serious injuries, helping ensure campaigns, educational resources and policy recommendations are aligned around the approaches most likely to reduce risk.

Rebecca Morris, Engagement Lead at Protect Young Drivers, said: “We’re extremely grateful to Neale for sharing his expertise and helping us bring together what decades of research tell us about reducing young driver risk.

“Protect Young Drivers is built around collaboration – bringing together experts and organisations from across the sector to share knowledge, experience and evidence. This work will help us ensure that what we do next, individually and collectively, is focused on the approaches most likely to save lives and prevent serious injuries.”

Protect Young Drivers brings together police, road safety partnerships, government agencies, charities, researchers, insurers, driver trainers and people with lived experience to improve young driver safety across the UK. All images provided with kind permission of the Co-Pilot Vision Zero Toolbox & Community.