02.15
I’ve said it before and unless things change I’ll probably say many, many times again before I die: The problem with young drivers isn’t just the drivers themselves. There are also deep, concerning problems inside the licensing and driver education systems that are supposed to be training these people.
Currently, teenagers learning to drive are taught how to operate a car. They’re not taught how to drive. There is a difference between the two; a difference that the RTA, state government (shock!) and some sections of the media don’t seem to understand.
Instead they blame silly things. They blame the cars, the roads, video games, society, other young drivers, the parents and how they’re even blaming evolution. They blame everything except themselves. They refuse to admit that there are serious, fundamental problems with how they approach driver training.
Last week, New South Wales police commissioner Andrew Scipione put forward the idea that violent video games are responsible for the latest spate of accidents on our roads. I don’t think I need to even go into why that’s a completely stupid and unfounded thing to say.
Just today (Sunday, Feb 14), someone who should know better – Dr John Reid from Monash University – has suggested that young people going for their license should undergo a psychological evaluation to identify if they’re at risk of behaving irresponsibly behind the wheel. Don’t know about you, if you’re going to identify teenagers that show signs of doing stupid things, then you’re going to catch pretty much every one of them. This is another stupid, ill-conceived idea that isn’t going to solve the problem of young drivers not knowing how to handle a car when they (inevitably) lose control.
The failings of young drivers come from a system that doesn’t teach them the skills they need to safely drive a car. While certain external influences may increase the chances of them being involved in an accident, this lack of skills is what is resulting the high number of deaths on Australian roads, especially this year. The system needs to change. Fast.
What’s worrying, is how all the people that are supposed to know what’s best for young drivers can’t see the solution that’s staring at them right in the their face. The easiest thing to do is to make learning to drive part of the school curriculum for year 10 students (in NSW). Just ensuring that every student gets the same, base learning before even getting behind the wheel would be a key component in ensuring that they have the best skills they could before they’re unleashed on the public roads.
Currently, all learner drivers are not required to undertake professional instruction before attempting their provisional license. They only have to complete a prescribed amount of hours of supervised driving. By not having learner drivers complete some sort of professional training they’re missing out on the change of eliminating the bad driving habits of their parents, that will be passed down to them. Parents do not always make good teachers. Given the deficiencies in the licensing system it’s not unreasonable to suggest that most parents aren’t fantastic drivers themselves. Having them pass what they know onto their children on continues the loop of bad, unskilled drivers on the road.
Further to this, learner drivers aren’t taught how to handle a car when they do lose control. This is probably the most vital skill that a young driver can learn. It’s pretty much inevitable that at some point within the first years of unsupervised driving a driver will find themselves in a position where they’re not in complete control of their vehicle. Having the ability to safely regain control or stop a vehicle could make the difference between giving someone a scare and them losing their life. Having learner drivers complete a defensive driving course before being allowed to drive on our roads should be a complete no-brainer. Such a program is already compulsory in many overseas nations.
Surely the government and the RTA realise that creating a system where learners are taught how to drive, not just how to operate the controls of a car, would save many more lives than their current, reactionary regulations and restrictions? Surely. I mean, how hard can it be?
Of course, no training system will stop certain people being morons. But there’s nothing that can ever be done to stop people being stupid and making poor life choices. However, equipping drivers with proper driving skills is save many, many lives that would be otherwise lost.