An Urgent Need for a Definitive Study Young Driver Focus 2018 The Benefits of Early Driving Tuition An Urgent Need for a Definitive Study Quentin Willson

‘Youth are heated by nature as drunken men by wine’ A Very Old Problem ‘Youth are heated by nature as drunken men by wine’ Aristotle, 370 BC

Social Resistance to Early Driving Tuition We’re deeply uncomfortable with the notion of pre-17s driving cars. Children controlling vehicles - even in an off road learning situation - offends our social norms and terrifies us. There is a myth that pre-teen driving training will empower young children to become over confident and drive before they’re legally allowed to. Yet there’s absolutely no evidence to support this fear that innocence will be lost behind the wheel. Isn’t it time to look beyond this abstract prejudice……?

Why We Need Early Driving Tuition Peer, parental and financial pressure to pass the test quickly Learning is done in a constrained time window Low repetition doesn’t develop high skill We teach below the dashboard controls and hazard awareness all at the same time 13 year-olds more risk-averse than 17 year-olds Younger minds more receptive to road safety messages Post test intervention misses optimal learning stage 17-19 year-olds a difficult group to engage

1997 Sweden Study Learning age dropped to 16 years. Legal licence age remained at 18 2000 drivers were tracked over three years, post test Three groups split between 16, 17 1/2 and 18 Reduction in accidents in the extended learning 16 group, post test over 3 years, was 40% Reduction in accidents in extended learning 17 1/2 group, post test over 3 years, was 20.8% Reduction in accidents in 18 group, post test over 3 years, with no extended learning, was 0% 40% accident reduction is one of the highest results recorded for any road safety intervention

Half-a-Million Lessons Young Driver founded in 2009 556,000 11 to 17s already trained 2,700 lessons every week across 60 sites 480 specially trained ADI instructors Latest 2017 survey data on accidents six months post test from sample of 400 Young Driver male 17 year-old respondents is 3.5% National average for 17 year-old males is 20% No ‘risk events’ ever reported

Repetition and Neural Pathways ‘Learning from a younger age can create safer new drivers because more repetition and practice over an extended period of learning lays down stronger neural pathways. The early learner’s expertise is greater because they use less brain bandwidth for doing the mechanical element of driving and more brain bandwidth for reacting quickly to hazards and emergencies.’ Nicola Morgan, adolescent development expert and author of The Teenage Guide to Stress and Blame My Brain

Are We Missing the Optimal Teen Development Window? ‘New neural connections are either strengthened or eliminated based on a child’s early experiences. These neural connections when activated more frequently become reinforced in pre adolescent children and are more likely to remain to adulthood. If those same neural connections are accessed less frequently they are more likely to be lost across the teenage years.’ Colin O’Neal MSC, Columbia University, 2015 Knowing Neurons ‘We need to understand the neurological reasons why a 17 year-old who displays logic and understands the consequences of his behaviour, when observed with a group of friends, makes reckless decisions that the average 10 year-old would say were pretty dumb’. Dr. Ronald Dahl, Professor School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley. Keynote Address to New York Academy of Sciences 2004 – Adolescent Brain Development: A Period of Vulnerabilities and Opportunities.

A Strategy to Save Lives Keep the legal licence age at 17 But encourage and foster a culture of extended learning Research and document the benefits of pre-teen early driving tuition See driving as a life-skill that should be taught in schools Understand the social cost of novice driver accidents

Cost to Society of Novice Driver Accidents In 2016 there were 448 fatalities involving young drivers in the UK. (RAC Foundation) Social cost per RTA fatality £1.8m (Statista.com 2016) Total social cost per year £806m Not including the intolerable heartache Could extending learning off road tuition for pre-17s reduce these tragic numbers?

Max: 9 Years, 2 Cars and 15,000 Miles Later 2016 2018

A Promising Start to His Driving Career Insurance premium down from £1250 at 18 to £760 at 20 Telematics Driving Score 98% No damage, no claims, no incidents

Thank You