It's always important to understand young drivers

Success is more likely when you see things from your audience's point of view.

Young drivers are much more than a group

It’s easy to put young drivers into one big, homogeneous group, but for an intervention to be successful, it’s important to bear in mind that your audience will always be made up of a wide range of different personalities – each with their own needs. 

Here are a few simple things to keep in mind.

People develop differently

Young and novice drivers are individuals. They’ll develop at different rates and their needs will often change as they do.

Not everyone cares about road safety

There’s a lot going on in most young people’s lives, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that road safety can often be low down the priority list.

Other public health messages

Young people are targeted by lots of other messages with topics ranging from sexual health and drug use to the risks of social media and mental health. 

Bombarded with information

Whether it’s the media or friends, young people have a lot of information coming in through multiple channels. Any intervention needs a clear aim and outcome to try and cut through the noise.

Look beyond the stereotypes

Young people are often thought of as overconfident, reckless law breakers.  However, of course, many of them are conscientious, careful drivers who need support to help them stay safe.

A real range of personalities

One study analysed the personality and crash risk of young drivers. From this, they developed the following types of young driver:

Considerates

Slightly more women than men – accident risk lower than average

Socially deviants

Mostly men – accident risk above average.

Anxious

Mainly women – accident risk below average.

Considerate sensation-seekers

Average accident risk.

Aggressive

Majority men – accident risk above average.

Adaptable, but egoistic

Mostly men – average accident risk.

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