RESUMEN
In Denmark, the legal license age was lowered from 18 to 17, to allow practice with an experienced driver before solo driving from age 18. The change gives the candidate driver a choice between: a) licensing at age 17 followed by a phase of accompanied driving until solo driving at age 18 (L17), and b) licensing at age 18 (or older) giving immediate access to solo driving (L18). The purpose of this study is: First, to explore safety-related differences between youth choosing the L17 or the L18 option, with a particular focus on safety attitude and self-assessed driving skills. Second, to map patterns in the use of accompanied driving and its predictors as well as the interaction between the L17 driver and the accompanying person (ACP). A sample of 632 drivers (53% male) between 17 and 19 years of age completed a survey. Among the participants 61% licensed through L17 and 39% through L18. Our results identify different risk profiles between L17 and L18. A higher score on perceptual-motor skills, lower score on safety skills and lower support to speed limits predicted L17. Female L17 were more safety-oriented compared to male L17. L17 who had experienced a supportive atmosphere and engagement in complex traffic situations during the drive were more likely to indicate that accompanied driving had improved their driving skills. However, results also indicate that the amount of experience obtained by L17 may be insufficient to obtain a safety benefit. Measures to address speeding and other risk-taking behaviours among male candidate drivers are needed to ensure a safety benefit of the Danish accompanied driving scheme. In addition, requirements may be needed to increase the amount of accompanied driving. Finally, parent guidelines could support the creation of a positive atmosphere during the drive.
Asunto(s)
Accidentes de Tránsito , Conducción de Automóvil , Accidentes de Tránsito/prevención & control , Adolescente , Actitud , Dinamarca , Femenino , Humanos , Concesión de Licencias , Masculino , Asunción de Riesgos , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
Background: To explore the impact of road injuries for different age groups, this study compares the health burden of road injuries in young adolescents-12 to 17 years of age-to those for older age groups. Young adolescents are underrepresented in road fatalities. However, their inexperience, developmental stage and use of bicycles may expose them to high levels of road risk, but their physical resilience may help them survive injuries which in older age groups would be fatal. Methods: To assess the impact of injuries compared with death, this study assessed by age group the health burden expressed in disability adjusted life years; years of life lost plus years lived with disability. Its analyses make use of existing data bases on road fatalities, serious injuries (maximum abbreviated injury score 2 or more), travel, life expectancy and disability weights. Results: For young adolescents, seriously injuries per distance travelled (injury risk) were higher than for any other age group, except for the elderly (75+). This was further amplified when health burden was taken into account, showing these young adolescents to be responsible for 15% of the total health burden associated with road crashes. Conclusions: These results justify extra efforts to improve the understanding and prevention of injury-only crashes among young adolescents.
Asunto(s)
Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Heridas y Lesiones/epidemiología , Accidentes de Tránsito/mortalidad , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Niño , Preescolar , Femenino , Humanos , Lactante , Recién Nacido , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Países Bajos/epidemiología , Años de Vida Ajustados por Calidad de Vida , Factores de Riesgo , Heridas y Lesiones/etiología , Heridas y Lesiones/mortalidad , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
A practical approach was developed to assess and compare the effects of five short road safety education (RSE) programmes for young adolescents that does not rely on injury or crash data but uses self reported behaviour. Questionnaires were administered just before and about one month after participation in the RSE programmes, both to youngsters who had participated in a RSE programme, the intervention group, and to a comparable reference group of youngsters who had not, the reference group. For each RSE programme, the answers to the questionnaires in the pre- and post-test were checked for internal consistency and then condensed into a single safety score using categorical principal components analysis. Next, an analysis of covariance was performed on the obtained safety scores in order to compare the post-test scores of the intervention and reference groups, corrected for their corresponding pre-test scores. It was found that three out of five RSE programmes resulted in significantly improved self-reported safety behaviour. However, the proportions of participants that changed their behaviour relative to the reference group were small, ranging from 3% to 20%. Comparisons among programme types showed cognitive approaches not to differ in effect from programmes that used fear-appeal approaches. The method used provides a useful tool to assess and compare the effects of different education programmes on self-reported behaviour.
Asunto(s)
Accidentes de Tránsito/prevención & control , Ciclismo , Educación en Salud/métodos , Seguridad , Caminata , Adolescente , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Evaluación de Programas y Proyectos de Salud , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
To monitor novice driver performance in the first years of solo driving, a test aimed at assessing speed adaptation to the traffic situation was developed and evaluated. The Adaptation Test consisted of 18 traffic scenes presented in two (almost) identical photographs, which differed in one single detail, increasing the situation's complexity. As the pictures were presented randomly and participants could not return to previous pictures, participants were kept unaware of the complexity differences in the pictures. The difference in reported speed between the two pictures was used as an indication of drivers' inclination to adapt their speed to the complexity of the traffic situation. Results showed that novice drivers (n=434) performed worse on the Adaptation Test (i.e. less often reported a lower speed in the more complex situation) than experienced drivers (n=173). In addition, unsafe drivers and overconfident drivers, as identified in an on-road driving assessment, performed worse on the Adaptation Test. This indicates that the Adaptation Test is effective at measuring adaptation of driving speed to the complexity of the situation; and that incorrect self-assessment, and overestimating driving skills in particular, may have a negative effect on speed adaptation.
Asunto(s)
Adaptación Psicológica , Aptitud , Conducción de Automóvil/psicología , Planificación Ambiental , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Adulto , Femenino , Humanos , Estudios Longitudinales , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Asunción de Riesgos , Autoimagen , Análisis y Desempeño de TareasRESUMEN
This paper reviews European trends regarding young drivers' accident risk and the effects of countermeasures. Young driver risk differs between countries, and has improved in the last decade, probably as a result of general improvements in road safety levels. Young male drivers' relative risk is rising, indicating that current policies are less effective for males than for females. Further research is needed to understand the causes of this development. In Europe, most countries are moving toward multiphase licensing systems, including elements like accompanied driving, protective measures, and probation periods. European evaluation studies show mixed results regarding these elements, pointing to a need for more research into the effective components.