COLLISIONS >>>

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Over 90% of road collisions can be blamed on human error - usually pinned on the other driver! Sound drivers know the capabilities of their car, understand their driving environment and can predict the behaviour of other motorists within that environment.

Collisions occur when unpredictable events happen to drivers who do not have the experience to deal with the unexpected situation.

Inappropriate speed also plays a major part in collisions, as it gives the driver less time within which to respond to a given situation.

>> Where do collisions occur?

The majority of road collisions occur in towns and built up areas, although accidents on rural roads tend to be more severe. Motorways are, in fact, the safest places on which to drive, although due to the speed of vehicles the collisions that do occur are often fatal.

According to the British School of Motoring, 48% of collisions involved vehicles going straight ahead, 15% were rounding a bend, 15% were making a right turn, 4% were overtaking, 3% were making a left turn, 1% were performing a u-turn and 0.5% were reversing.

>>>>When do collisions occur?

Time of year – Young drivers in the East Midlands have more collisions during the months of October, November and December, when the conditions are less suited to driving and the road becomes unpredictable. It is also darker for a longer period of time, which presents its own set of dangers. A secondary peak also occurs in July and August.

Time of day – A higher number of accidents involving young drivers also occur in the evening rush hour compared with the morning rush hour, presumably because the wish to get home is greater than the desire to get to work.

Driving at night – According to the RAC Foundation, young drivers are also more vulnerable at night. 50% of accidents involving young drivers which result in death or serious injury occur during the hours of darkness. This is compared with 35% for older drivers. Sources suggest that between 11pm and 6am, young drivers account for 45% of road fatalities.

>>> Why do young drivers have so many collisions at night?

As with all collisions, a combination of factors comes into effect to cause these incidents. Despite the fact that driving in darkness requires different skills to driving at night, driving instructors tend to encourage young drivers to take lessons exclusively during the day. This allows them to teach older drivers, who may be at work during the day, in the evening.

Young drivers therefore have little experience of driving during hours of darkness until after they have passed their test, so it’s wise to ask your driving instructor to include a few night time lessons to get you used to this. Alternatively get a parent or an older, responsible friend to give you a few lessons on how to drive in the dark.

People also tend to drive at night for different purposes than they would during the day, often for social activities which include the temptation to drink or take drugs. And there is obviously more chance of driving while tired at night. All three of these factors can affect your driving ability considerably.

> >>Would night time curfews on young drivers help?

Curfews on night time driving have been imposed in the USA with very effective results. In North Carolina a system was introduced restricting young adults from driving after 9.00pm, which resulted in a reduction in collisions of 43% during the restricted period. Compared with a 20% reduction in the day this showed that a 23% reduction was made due to the night time curfew. In Michigan a similar curfew was introduced between the hours of midnight and 5.00am, which resulted in a staggering 53% reduction in night time crashes.

The results speak for themselves, but you might think that stopping young adults driving when they have no alternative transport is a harsh measure, especially on those who need to drive either for work or for other essential reasons.

Driving with passengers – Driving with passengers has been shown to significantly increase the risk to young drivers, and young male drivers in particular. The crash risk increases with each additional passenger carried and it is nearly three times higher when carrying three passengers than when driving alone.

>> >Why do young drivers have so many collisions when carrying passengers?

As well as excessive speed, distraction is another factor in many collisions. A car full of your mates pointing out High Street Honeys is likely to put you off driving as you focus on their conversations and behaviour. Driving takes a lot of concentration, and if this concentration is broken then the results can be catastrophic. Not only does the chance of a collision increase, but the number of casualties in a full car will obviously be more than one containing a single occupant. And carrying many passengers will make your car seem like a completely different vehicle in both handling and braking when you come to drive. The nippy acceleration and short stopping distance all disappear when the weight inside the car increases.

The danger of carrying passengers is very real, and statistics show that young male drivers are now the biggest killer of young women in this country.

>>> > Would curbing the number of passengers in a car help?

Figures from the USA show that in restricting young drivers to specific hours and the amount of passengers they can carry, a 60% reduction in collisions occurs during this time period. A study of the impact of passenger restrictions on casualties found that with 90% compliance of passenger restrictions there would be 31-42% fewer road deaths among the 16-17 year olds age group. A lower compliance rate of 50% would still result in a 15-22% reduction in deaths.

As with night time curfews though, some would say a limit on the number of passengers allowed could impose unfair restrictions on drivers who have genuine reasons for carrying other people, for example those who wish to give lifts to relatives or who have children.