Drivers of all ages are involved in crashes. However, young drivers have more crashes than others and are more likely to be involved in the same types of crashes.

Two important things that can help reduce the involvement of young people in road crashes are:

1  Having plenty of driving practice during the learner period.

2  Slowing down to provide plenty of space and time to be able to react to the unexpected.

Common errors made by learner drivers are often as a result of:

>> Not scanning the environment well.

>> Misjudging the speed of other vehicles, particularly oncoming cars.

>> Travelling too close to other vehicles.

>> Travelling too fast, both for the road conditions and for their level of experience.

>> Being overconfident in their ability.

>> Speeding.

>> Inattentiveness or fatigue.

The three most common crash types for young drivers involve:

A  Both turning and driving straight ahead at intersections.

B  Rear end crashes.

C  Veering off the road to the left.

A. Both turning and driving straight ahead at intersections

Why do young people become involved in this type of crash ?

>> Poor or insufficient scanning of the driving environment.

>> Not judging the gap in the traffic well.

>> Overconfidence in driving ability.

>> Speeding.

>> Reliance on other drivers to avoid a crash.

B. Rear end crashes

Why do young people become involved in this type of crash ?

Driver at rear :

>>  Speeding.

>>  Not enough space left between vehicles.

>>  Relying on other drivers to avoid a crash.

>>  Driver distraction.

>>  Misjudging the required stopping distance.

Driver in front: 

>>  Driver distracted.

>>  Not doing enough or any mirror or head checks.

>>  Indicating intentions late or not at all.

>>  Misjudging stopping distance, and late braking.

C.    Veering off the road to the left.

Why do young people become involved in this type of crash?

>>  Speeding.

>>  Lack of steering control.

>>  Distraction from the driving Task.

>>  Fatigue.

Source:   ATSB   Key Facts for New Drivers

Why is it often safer to lower your speed limit to below the posted speed ?

Busy roads are full of unexpected problems. A child may see its parents on the opposite side of the road and dart across without looking. You may be in control of your vehicle but you can’t control what other road users may do.

If you reduce your speed, you have more time to react to an unexpected situation.

When roads are wet and slippery it takes much longer for your vehicle to come to a stop after applying the brakes. When it rains after a long period of dry weather it is even more important to go slower, as the rain mixes with oil and dust on the road, making it even more slippery than usual.

Bright sunlight can blind you just for a moment when a hazard appears in the distance. If you are travelling at a slower speed you have time to react safely.

If you are travelling in an unfamiliar area, you will not be aware of the dangers that are around. By slowing down, even by 5 km/h, you give yourself an opportunity to see any hazards and more time to react.

Remember, the slower you go, the more time you have to react to unexpected situations.

Source:  ATSB  Key Facts For New Drivers 

Imagine you are in a 60 Km/h zone

In which of the following situations would you slow down ?

When travelling near or through a shopping centre

When near a school zone just before school begins or after school ends

When there is more traffic than usual

When it is raining heavily

When it is raining lightly

When the sun blinds you for a moment

When there are road works

When the area you are driving in is unfamiliar to you

The answer is in every one of the situations listed above

Speed limit signs indicate Maximum speeds allowable

In every State and Territory of Australia you must adjust your travelling speed below the posted limit if the driving conditions mean that the maximum speed is unsafe.

It is not enough to be within the law: you need to be in control and able to cope with the unexpected.

Being legally in the right is not much comfort once:

* your car is off the road damaged, or

* you or someone else is injured or dead.

Source   Key Facts For New Drivers

In Victoria, there are several hundred thousand crashes every year.

These crashes are not accidents - they are due to drivers making mistakes.

Not all driving mistakes result in a crash. Think about the mistakes you’ve seen drivers make without causing a crash:

-cutting off other cars

-not giving way

-misjudging gaps

-trying to overtake when it’s not safe

-just not seeing other road users

If driving is so easy, why do so many drivers regularly make mistakes, sometimes resulting in crashes?

All young drivers face the same challenges because driving is complicated. It requires a lot of time and effort to become a good driver.

Research has shown that a minimum of 120 hours of supervised practice as a learner and restrictions on new solo drivers for the first few years, can help reduce the risk of a crash. This is why Victoria has introduced the Graduated Licensing System, including the mandatory 120 hours to be completed in the Learner Log Book  by those aged under 21 years of age when applying for a Probationary Licence.

Source VicRoads Road to Solo Driving

120 HOURS: IS THE MESSAGE GETTING THROUGH?
LEARNER DRIVERS AND DRIVING PRACTICE
Probationary drivers are over-represented in crashes, particularly in their first year of solo
driving. Studies have shown that a minimum of 120 hours supervised driving practice as
a learner is associated with reduced risk of crashing in the first year of solo driving.
VicRoads, TAC and other bodies have implemented programs to encourage and facilitate
the accumulation of 120 hours of supervised driving practice. Beginning in 1999,
VicRoads and TAC commissioned a series of surveys to evaluate the success of these
programs. Each survey samples a cross-section of learner and newly licensed drivers at
different stages of the learner permit period. Responses are used to estimate learner
drivers’ hours of supervised driving practice and professional lessons. The results of the
2004 survey stated that estimated total of hours of supervised driving has risen
substantially since the first survey, and this paper demonstrates where the increases
have occurred as well as charting the variety of driving experience accumulated.
Respondents’ exposure to and perceived helpfulness of the programs is assessed.
Hindrances to practice, attitudes towards supervised practice, and respondents’ thoughts
on what would encourage more practice are also reported.
Introduction
Probationary drivers are over-represented in crashes, particularly in their first year of solo
driving (VicRoads 2006). For more than three decades, the problem of inexperience has been
recognised as a primary contributing factor to crash involvement for novice drivers (see for
example: Pelz & Schuman 1971, Spolander 1983, Levy 1990, Drummond et al. 1993, Cavallo &
Triggs 1996 [cited in Gregersen 2000]).
Studies have shown that a minimum of 120 hours supervised driving practice as a learner is
associated with a 30% reduction in risk of crashing in the first two years of solo driving
(Gregersen 2000). VicRoads, TAC and RACV have implemented programs to encourage and
facilitate the accumulation of 120 hours of supervised driving practice. These include:
• VicRoads’ Keys Please seminars
• VicRoads’ Getting There: from Ls to Ps booklet
• VicRoads’ L Site website
• VicRoads’ Learners Log webpage
• TAC HELP Information Pack
• TAC Drive Smart CD ROM
• RACV Parent Plus driving school program.
TAC has also implemented advertising campaigns on television, radio, print media and roadside
billboards emphasising the importance of 120 hours of supervised practice.
Commencing in 1999, VicRoads and TAC commissioned a series of surveys to evaluate how
successful these programs have been in increasing the number of hours that learner drivers
spend in supervised driving practice. The surveys were conducted in 1999, 2000, 2004 and
2005. ARRB has published reports for the surveys conducted up to 2004 (see Catchpole &
Stephenson 2001, Catchpole & Coutts 2002, Catchpole & Pyta 2005). This paper reports on the
changes in the number of hours of supervised practice accumulated by learner drivers observed
in the 2004 survey. Respondents’ exposure to and perceived helpfulness of the programs are
assessed. Hindrances to practice, attitudes towards supervised practice, and respondents’
thoughts on what would encourage more practice are also reported.
Method
Sample
The sample consisted of 1322 learner permit holders and 209 newly licensed drivers. The
sample of current learner permit holders was stratified by length of time holding the learner
permit. Both the samples of current learner permit holders and newly licensed drivers were
stratified by region, sex and age when the learner permit was acquired.
There are naturally fewer learners living outside of Melbourne and fewer learners in the first two
stages of the learner permit period. To obtain reliable estimates of driving experience for these
groups, they were deliberately over-sampled. The survey response data was weighted prior to
analysis to account for this over-sampling and to ensure the results were representative of all
Victorian learner permit holders.
Design
The study is cross-sectional as it samples at one point in time a cross-section of learner drivers
during four ‘stages’ of the learner permit period. The stages are defined as:
Stage 1: 1-91 days after obtaining a learner permit (first 3 months)
Stage 2: 92-212 days after obtaining a learner permit (4th to 7th months)
Stage 3: 213-1461 days after obtaining a learner permit (balance of the first 4 years)
Final stage: last 28 days before acquiring a probationary licence.
Survey Procedure
Roy Morgan Research recruited and interviewed respondents for the surveys. VicRoads
supplied Roy Morgan with quotas based on the desired stratified sample and the name and
address of 16,496 current learner permit holders and 2782 newly licensed drivers. The surveys
were conducted using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing.
Analysis procedure
The average amount of driving experience accumulated by drivers over the whole learner permit
period was calculated by:
1. Identifying people in stages 1 to 3 who might actually be in the final stage of the learner
permit period and then multiplying their weighting factor by 0.4081 to reduce their
influence (because these people spend more time practising per week).
2. Multiplying the average amount of driving per week during each stage by the average
amount of time spent in that stage to give an estimate of the amount of driving experience
accumulated in each stage.
3. Negating the bias which is present for stage 3 (people who spend less time in stage 3
also tend to do more driving per week in stage 3) by multiplying the estimated amount of
experience by a correction factor of 0.8982.
1 This weight was also calculated from data in the 1999 survey when the date of licence acquisition was available.
4. Adding together the estimates of the amount of driving experience accumulated in each
stage to give an estimate of the total accumulated hours of driving experience over the
whole learner permit period.
Results
Time holding a learner permit
The average time holding a learner permit was 82.7 weeks in 1999 and 83.9 weeks in 2000. In
2004, learner drivers held their learners permit for an average of 86.3 weeks before graduating
to a probationary licence.
Professional driving lessons
Time spent in professional driving lessons is generally low in the first three stages. Most
learners in this group reported not having had a lesson in the last four weeks, and the average
time spent in lessons for this group (including learners who had no lessons) was 4 to 7 minutes
per week. The average increases to 58 minutes per week in the last four weeks before they
attempt their licence test. On average:
• the total time spent in professional lessons over the whole learner permit period was 10.4
hours, a drop of 5% since the 2000 survey
• females spent more time in professional lessons than males
• learners from Melbourne spent more time in professional lessons than learners from the
rest of Victoria.
The latter two figures did not differ significantly between the 2000 and 2004 surveys.
Supervised driving practice
Time spent in supervised practice averaged 52 to 64 minutes per week in the first three stages,
increasing to 160 minutes per week in the final stage. In addition, 83-90% of learners reported
having undertaken supervised practice in the last week. On average:
• the total time spent in supervised practice over the whole learner permit period was 83.6
hours, an increase of 11% from the 2000 survey
• males spent more time in supervised practice per week than females in the first three
stages
• learners from Melbourne spent less time in supervised practice during the first three
stages but more time than country Victorians in the final stage.
Total driving experience
The total supervised driving experience over the whole learner permit period (comprising
professional lessons and supervised driving practice) averaged 94.1 hours, an increase of 9.5%
since 2000. On average, total driving time was:
• lower for females (82.7 hours) than for males (106.2 hours)
• lower for Melbourne learners (90.1 hours) than for residents of provincial centres (96.8
hours) and the rest of Victoria (112.0 hours)
• substantially higher for learners who acquired their permit at age 16 (124.8 hours) versus
at age 17 (71.0 hours) versus at age 18 to 20 (57.5 hours).
2 This correction factor was calculated for the 1999 survey when VicRoads was able to supply information about the
date of licence acquisition. From 2000 onwards, VicRoads was unable to supply this information, and so the correction
factor calculated in 1999 has been applied to subsequent years’ data.
Proportionately, experience was gained through 11% professional lessons and 89% supervised
practice. The proportion of experience gained through professional lessons was higher for:
• females than males
• learners from Melbourne than learners from the rest of Victoria
• learners who acquired their permit at age 17 or 18 to 20 years than those who acquired
the permit at 16.
Variety of driving conditions experienced
Compared with the 2000 survey, the variety of driving conditions that learner drivers were
exposed to increased by a statistically significant 25% in stage 3 (although the changes in the
other stages were smaller and not significant). Country Victorians generally gained greater
variety of experience than Melbourne learners and male learners generally gained greater
variety of experience than female learners in the first three stages.
Recognising the importance of supervised experience
When asked how many hours of experience they believed a learner needs to accumulate before
attempting the probationary licence test, 33-45% answered in the 101-150 hour range. Around
half of all learners reported that they kept a record of their driving practice, and there were
significant increases since 2000 in the number of learners keeping record of their driving
practice across three of the four stages.
Programs to increase learner driver experience
The programs are listed in order of greatest audience exposure:
• VicRoads’ Getting There: from Ls to Ps booklet
– information for supervising drivers and learners regarding safely and effectively
managing the process of learning to drive
– 73-81% of respondents received the booklet
– considered helpful by 59-70% of those who received it, but 15-20% said they had not
read it
• TAC HELP Information Pack
– information for supervising drivers and learners regarding safely and effectively
managing the process of learning to drive
– 45-67% of respondents had received the pack
– 42-64% of those found it helpful
• VicRoads’ Keys Please seminars
– dissemination of information to supervising drivers and learners regarding safely and
effectively managing the process of learning to drive
– 24% of respondents had attended by stage 3
– considered helpful by 87-100% of those who attended
• VicRoads’ L Site website
– interactive quizzes prompting learners to think about how their driving is progressing
and practical advice about how to improve their driving
– 11-25% of respondents had visited the website
– 71-83% of those who visited the site found it helpful
• TAC Drive Smart CD ROM
– interactive driving scenarios and quizzes designed to help learners make safe
judgements and improve real-world driving skill
– 9-25% % of respondents had used the CD ROM program
– 66-81% of those found it helpful
• TAC Learners Log webpage
– interactive website allowing learners to keep record of the hours and variety of
supervised practice they do
– 1-5% of respondents had visited the website
– 72-87% of those who visited the site found it helpful
• RACV Parent Plus driving school program
– a learner who has professional lessons with RACV DriveSchool can receive one lesson
free of charge if they bring a parent along for their lesson
– 0-3% of learners had taken part in the program.
Hindrances to practice
Most respondents (68%) reported that there was nothing limiting their involvement in
professional lessons, although a moderate proportion reported that lessons were too expensive
(10%) or that they didn’t have time for lessons (13%).
Similarly, most respondents (67%) reported that there was nothing limiting their involvement in
supervised practice; although a moderate number stated that they were too busy (18%).
Respondents who were living with at least one parent were much more likely to obtain the
learner permit at age 16, to report that their usual supervisor is a parent and to have two or
more cars and two or more supervisors available for practice. They also averaged more hours
practising per week, and were less likely to report hindrances to practice.
Attitudes towards supervised practice
When asked what would reduce the number of probationary driver crashes, 21-34% of
respondents recognised more driving practice as learners as an important protective factor.
Encouraging more supervised practice
When asked what would encourage learners to do more supervised practice, one third were
unable to answer, and the most popular responses were to allow more time and more access to
a car.
Discussion
There were some encouraging trends revealed in the 2004 survey. A moderate increase in
hours of driving experience prior to attempting the probationary licence test was observed. This
increase was the result of increases in the average time for which the learner permit is held and
increases in the average time spent practising per week in stage three. The variety of driving
conditions experienced also increased significantly.
Exposure to the programs intended to encourage and facilitate new drivers to accumulate their
120 hours of supervised driving practice was good. Most respondents were aware of at least
one of the programs, and most found them useful. Although these results are encouraging,
causation cannot be definitively attributed to them, as we cannot control for other potential
influencing factors.
There are some methodological issues to allow for when considering these results. Firstly, the
sampling method was changed in 2004 to be stratified on the respondent’s age when they
obtained their learners permit, where previously it had been stratified on the respondent’s age at
the time of the survey. This change occurred because results from the 1999 and 2000 surveys
revealed that the total driving experience accumulated by learner permit holders is closely
related to their age at the time of obtaining the learners permit.
Some systematic sampling bias may also have occurred due to potential respondents not being
available when the interviewers attempted to call. This rate was higher for newly licensed
drivers than learners. In future surveys, a higher call back rate will be stipulated for newly
licensed drivers.
This survey used a cross-sectional method to estimate total driving experience over the whole
learner permit period. Another method is simply to ask newly licensed drivers to estimate their
total driving experience. When these two methods were compared, the results showed that the
latter method tended to overestimate total driving experience by about 39% when compared
with the cross-sectional method. Therefore, simply asking newly licensed drivers to recall their
total practice is not a reliable method of gauging the total supervised driving experience
accumulated. It is possible that this over-estimate is influenced by a desire on the part of newly
licensed drivers to meet the ideal 120 hours of practice which is prominent in TAC advertising.
Importantly, the surveys reveal potential target audiences who would benefit most from
increased attention in future programs. These include:
• learners who do not get the learner permit until age 17 or older
• learners not living with a parent
• females
• learners living in Melbourne.
References
Catchpole, J and Coutts, M 2002, Continued monitoring of driving experience among learner
drivers: 1999-2000, Research Report ARR 357, ARRB Transport Research, Vermont South Vic.
Catchpole, J and Pyta, V 2004, Learner driver experience monitoring 2004, Research Report
365, ARRB Group, Vermont South Vic.
Catchpole, J and Stephenson, W 2001, Monitoring driving experience among learner drivers,
Research Report ARR 355, ARRB Transport Research, Vermont South, Vic.
Gregersen, NP 2000, ‘Sixteen years age limit for learner drivers in Sweden – an evaluation of
safety effects’, Accident Analysis & Prevention 32(1) pp.25-35.
VicRoads 2006, Young Driver Safety and Graduated Licensing Program: Discussion Paper,
viewed 10 August 2006
<http://www.arrivealive.vic.gov.au/downloads/Youngdriver_discussion/YDS_v10_web.pdf>,
VicRoads, Kew, Victoria.

Source: Victoria Pyta, ARRB Group, victoria.pyta@arrb.com.au
And
John Catchpole, ARRB Group, john.catchpole@arrb.com.au

If you get your Ps from 1 July 2008, and you are under 21, you will now have an extra probationary licence stage. In other words, it’s an extra P plate.

As part of Victoria’s new graduated licensing system, there will be two probationary licence stages: a one year P1 (red plates) stage, followed by a three year P2 (green plates) stage.

You will need a good driving record to progress from P1 to P2, then to a full licence.
Any licence suspension, or other serious offence, will add six months to the probationary period, plus the period of suspension.

NEW P1 AND P2 PROBATIONARY LICENCES

P1 Licences (Red Plate)

From 1 July 2008, the new P1 licences will be issued and everyone applying for a probationary licence will need to pass a hazard perception test and an on road driving test. (Drivers with a probationary licence issued before 1 July 2008 will be covered by the current system.)

Probationary drivers aged under 21 years, when first licensed, must hold a P1 licence for a minimum of 12 months. During this time all mobile phone use is banned and there is a restriction on towing unless for work or they are under instruction.

Probationary drivers who are aged 21 years or older when first licensed will move directly to a P2 licence.

What’s different about a P1?

P1 requirements include…

Must stay on a P1 licence for at least 12 months
No mobile phone use of any kind.
P1 driver can only carry one passenger aged between 16 and 21.
No towing (unless for work or if under instruction).
Restrictions on driving high powered vehicles
Drink driving offenders may have an alcohol interlock fitted to their vehicle
Any licence suspension, drink driving offence with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) up to 0.05, or drug driving offence will result in an extension of the P1 licence period for six months, plus the period of suspension.
If the P1 licence is suspended, a passenger limit of one will apply for the remainder of the P1 period.
Other existing P provisions will also apply.

What’s different about a P2?

P2 requirements include…

A three year minimum
Restrictions on driving high powered vehicles
Drink driving offenders may have an alcohol interlock fitted to their vehicle.
Any licence suspension will result in an extension of the P2 period by six months, plus the period of suspension.
Other existing P provisions will also apply

(Source: Arrive Alive Mail Out 17 June 2008 and website)

Get it right or you won’t be allowed to take a licence test
All Learner permit holders less than 21 years of age who obtained their learner permit on or after I July 2007 must have…

• passed the hazard perception test,
• be at least 18 years old,
• have held their Learner Permit for at least one year
• And have recorded at least 120 hours of driving experience (including at least 10 hours at night)

Before applying for a practical drive test.
The checklist on page 12 of the Learner Log Book section of the Learner Kit provides more detail regarding these requirements.
Your hours of driving experience must be recorded in the Log Book that Vic Roads gave you when you obtained your Learner Permit.
This Log Book is a legal document. It is your legal responsibility to make sure all details are completed accurately.
Every detail for every trip must be entered accurately. That means…
• Only use a pen.
• Complete all details for every trip.
• Fill in odometer readings — not trip meter readings.
• If you make a mistake, put a line through the entire entry and rewrite it on the next line.
• Do not use whiteout.
• Make sure the correct total is carried forward from the bottom of one page to the top of the next.
• Ensure the Log Book s not damaged illegible or missing pages.
It is a good idea to photocopy each page you finish. If you lose your Log Book you can use these copies to re-enter details in a replacement Log Book and have them all resigned by the Supervising Drivers (photo copies are not acceptable). You can buy a new Log Book for $16 by contacting Vic Roads on 13 11 71 or online via www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/bookshop
The instructions are described on pages 1 to 5 of the Learner Log Book.
The Declaration of Completion on page 6 must only be completed by you and your main supervising driver after you have finished using your log book.
Each of your Supervising Drivers must complete one of the forms on pages 9 to 11. Extra pages can be downloaded at www.vicroads.vic.qov,au
If on the day of your licence test Vic Roads does not accept your Log Book you will…
• Not be allowed to take the licence test.
• have to wait at least 6 weeks before you can take another test.
• lose all your fees.
Finally, it is suggested you do not stop recording trips once you reach 120 hours. Go for morel you will then have some hours ‘in reserve’ if any entries are deemed to be invalid and have to be deducted. Remember, you must not fall below 120 hours by the time you take your licence test.
Prepared by the Australian Driver Trainers Association (Victoria)

It never ceases to amaze me that parents will spend an absolute fortune on educating their children via secondary colleges ,universities and other higher educational venues, including private tutors to help them along the way to a better education
and rightfully so.
Monies are also spent on pursuing higher levels of education in music tuition and sporting endeavours but the perception among
some, is that as far as driving is concerned near enough is good enough.

The number of times we as driving instructors hear that my son or daughter only needs to be taught how to park a vehicle
is alarming and of concern.

When assessing these people we find that the tuition and information given to be either inaccurate or out dated and in fact
dangerous.

This seems to stem from a culture of driving lessons are to expensive and not necessary, by some in the community ,
but when you factor in driving lessons, as a total package of a young persons overall education , it is money well spent.

What price to we put on the safety of our learner drivers ?