For young drivers, passing a driving test is often a great moment of freedom. Instead of relying on public transport or favours from family members, a full driving license means the option to go where you want. This is a moment of great empowerment for a young person, although it runs hand in hand with taking on great responsibility. Ultimately, although passing a driving test means you are now less dependent upon your parents, it does not mean that there is an absence of rules. This is one of the hardest transitions to make for any young driver.
Being at the helm of a piece of machinery such as a car is an exciting prospect. Instinctively, the temptation is to push the limits and see how fast and how well a car can drive. Indeed, driving too fast is something that most drivers admit to, hence the prevalence of speed cameras and traffic police on Britain’s highways and byways. For young drivers, it is the lack of experience that often causes accidents, such as knowing how to manage road conditions and/or how to temper your driving in certain weathers. It is often not speed alone that causes crashes, but the use of undue speed, such as round corners or in slippery conditions.
In addition, young people often struggle to reconcile the desire to drive with the desire to socalise, and often there is pressure to do both. When alcohol is involved, there is a false wisdom that it is possible to calculate your drink-driving level. It’s commonly thought that there is a set number of drinks you can consume while still being able to drive safely. This is a fallacy, with alcohol affecting different people in different ways. Many older drivers don’t take this risk and simply abstain from alcohol when driving. For younger people, who have less experience, the temptation to drink often overtakes the risk of driving under the influence. When this mixture of naivety and bravado combines, it can have disastrous consequences.
Although not all young people are prone to drink driving, the fact remains that they are part of a demographic group that is. This explains why it can be difficult to get car insurance for young drivers. However, through various schemes, such as pass plus, it is possible to mitigate the youth of the driver. Whilst some young drivers will continue to push the boundaries and take risks, this needn’t impact upon all young drivers, and passing the driving test can remain a positive experience.
The author of this article is a part of a digital blogging team who work with brands like Confused.com. The content contained in this article is for information purposes only and should not be used to make any financial decisions.
