New Drivers

Stay in Mantrol is an anti-speed campaign from the New Zealand Transport Agency. The following quote from their web site summarizes the campaign:

Brian Vickers is a 17 year old Novice driver. He was convicted under section 144(1)(b) MVA, Driving Without Reasonable Consideration for Others Using the Highway, for passing another vehicle while traveling in excess of the speed limit in a school zone.

This video, produced by ICBC, looks at why banning communication device use by drivers keeps our roads safer by keeping drivers focused on the task of driving. This applies to new drivers in the Graduated Licensing Program especially as they have not developed the necessary skills to spare attention for non-driving related tasks.

Can someone with their N have more than one friend in the car if they are the designated driver?

This past year my 18yr old son was stopped and ticketed for having an extra passenger in his vehicle. It was late in the evening and they had been at a party. He was designated driver that evening and had not been drinking or doing drugs. However, the constable that stopped him pointed her flashlight in his eyes and accused him of being on drugs. She decided this in mere seconds of observation.

The Traffic Injury Research Foundation has released a report titled "An evaluation of graduated driver licensing programs in North America." The report concludes that graduated licensing reduces a 16 year old's chance of a fatal collision by 19%, chiefly by reducing the number of people in the vehicle driven by the teen. Negligible effects were seen for drivers in the 17 to 19 year old age groups.

This is a road safety campaign video from the UK, just in time for Valentine's day, aimed at teen drivers. One of the slogans used is 'More girls die as passengers than as drivers.' This is a significant idea for the female half of the equation to consider. They do need to play an active role in keeping the male focused on safe driving when necessary, obviously for their own good.

It was not uncommon to be told that a new driver sign was not being displayed because adults took the sign as a signal to bully the new driver. I thought that was just a convenient excuse to give the policeman when you couldn't be bothered to make sure that the required sign was in place. After all, who wouldn't realize that a new driver deserved more room and a little leeway for mistakes because they were just beginning their driving career?

Last week's column looked at the 24 hour prohibition from driving for all drivers who had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 50 mg% or higher and were either the driver of or who had care and control of a vehicle on a highway or industrial road. This week we'll look at a special suspension that applies to drivers who are in the Graduated Licensing Program (GLP).

The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) is pleased to announce the launch of the Young and New Driver Resource Centre. The new centre is a one-stop shop on young and new driver issues that is designed for parents, young and novice drivers, researchers, and policymakers.