Learner Drivers and Passengers
Learner Drivers and Passengers
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among young Australians aged 16-25 years.
The risk of being involved in a fatal or serious crash is much higher for young drivers when there are passengers around the same age in the car and when there is more than one.
Why is this so?
Having your friends in the car can distract you when you have not fully mastered or automated your driving skills.
Encourage riskier driving behaviors – such as driving after drinking alcohol, speeding, swerving, and following too close.
Others tempt you to show off your driving skills.
Here are some tips.
If you want to take a friend or friends, keep the number to a minimum.
The more passengers you have the riskier the trip becomes.
When offering friends a lift, remember that you are in control of the car. Take them on the condition that they are helpful rather than distracting e.g. not to change stations on the radio or point out good looking pedestrians!
During initial driving practice keep the radio off, and practice no passengers in the car. If they are, keep them silent.
As you become more confident and capable as a learner driver, start allowing more passengers and other distractions into the car.
After you get your P’s Avoid taking passengers for the first few unsupervised drives. You will be surprised how much more challenging driving is on your own, when your supervising driver was taking up some of the workload.
Be in control every trip you make – resist the temptation to show off your skills to your friends or other road driving users.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among young Australians aged 16-25 years.
The risk of being involved in a fatal or serious crash is much higher for young drivers when there are passengers around the same age in the car and when there is more than one.
Why is this so?
Having your friends in the car can distract you when you have not fully mastered or automated your driving skills.
Encourage riskier driving behaviors – such as driving after drinking alcohol, speeding, swerving, and following too close.
Others tempt you to show off your driving skills.
Here are some tips.
If you want to take a friend or friends, keep the number to a minimum.
The more passengers you have the riskier the trip becomes.
When offering friends a lift, remember that you are in control of the car. Take them on the condition that they are helpful rather than distracting e.g. not to change stations on the radio or point out good looking pedestrians!
During initial driving practice keep the radio off, and practice no passengers in the car. If they are, keep them silent.
As you become more confident and capable as a learner driver, start allowing more passengers and other distractions into the car.
After you get your P’s Avoid taking passengers for the first few unsupervised drives. You will be surprised how much more challenging driving is on your own, when your supervising driver was taking up some of the workload.
Be in control every trip you make – resist the temptation to show off your skills to your friends or other road driving users.
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