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While young drivers between the age of 17 and 24 only account for 1.5% of licence holders, a study by the road safety charity Brake found that they are involved in 9% of accidents when behind the wheel.
This fact seems to back up the stigma that new, younger drivers are a danger out on the road in comparison to others. One solution touted for this problem is to have teenagers learn to drive in school. It’s a tactic which has been in place for a long time in parts of America – sometimes referred to as Drivers Ed – while some European countries have also seen a reduction in accidents thanks to young people learning to drive at school.
This has led some to ask if the UK could benefit from getting people to start learning to drive at a younger age, within the safety of a school setting. This month we’ll go through the pros and cons of such a suggestion, leaving you to decide which side of the argument you fall on.
Earlier introduction to driving. By getting young people comfortable with cars and the basic principles of driving, they will get much more out of official lessons and testing when they reach the legal driving age. A lot of mistakes are down to inexperience, so it stands to reason that an earlier start could set them up better.
Experience gained in safe settings. While driving lessons provide good road experience out in the real world, some students might not feel comfortable getting straight out on the road. Within the confines of the school with an instructor, a steadier learning curve can help slower learners develop safe, confident practices.
Better prospects for jobs. In 2016, the RAC Foundation found that of 847,000 vacancies listed for Great Britain, over 15% required a drivers licence, with an additional 7,700 stating it would be beneficial to the application. With free access to driving at an earlier age, there are clear job prospects for this valuable skill once school is over.
May never need driving skills. While many jobs will require a driving licence, there are many more which don’t. Adding another lesson into the school curriculum could be a waste of time for a lot of students, while some simply won’t ever like the idea of learning to drive, happier to use public transport.
Some may not engage with subjects at school. Like it or not, when something is based within the school system, some people will simply not like it. Whether they’re rebelling and not showing up at all, or just not paying much attention, there are some young people who respond to learning outside of school.
Additional strain on schools. The sums involved with implementing such a scheme are probably beyond what any school can afford right now, which means either greater input from the government or fees are paid by parents who want their child to learn. The latter provides a barrier for some families, and the former doesn’t even begin to account for the strain on the physical and logistical aspects of offering such a specialist subject.
There are bound to be more arguments for and against this, but as it stands it doesn’t look like the government has any plans to introduce such a scheme. This means insurance premiums for younger people will remain high in correlation to the likelihood of accidents early in their driving careers.
If you’ve been involved in an accident which has damaged any of the windows on your vehicle, look no further than The Windscreen Company. We provide windscreen repairs and replacements at your home or by the roadside, helping you to stay safe out on the roads. Contact our team today if you need our help.
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