Why new drivers are more likely to be involved in an accident
It is a well known statistic that new drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents, and indeed insurance companies definitely know this as you'll see by comparing premiums as a new driver with those for experienced drivers who have a clean driving licence.
But why is this the case, particularly since as a new driver you may well be performing the correct drills and practices each time you perform any maneouvre that lots of more experienced drivers have long forgotten or had bad habits take over from?
Well the reason is not due to that, or indeed to reaction times, but due to one little thing called Experience. As we know, the more you drive the better you get - that's basically how driving lessons work; your mind gets more and more used to experiencing and driving a car, your understanding of the road and the rules of the road gets better, and so generally overall you get better.
When you pass your test, it's not the end of the road. You continue learning for some time, and each set of new road conditions you experience and the more time you clock up driving the more experience you get. This is important when faced with a hazardous situation.
In a difficult situation, as ever there are pretty much just three things you can do: you can slow down, you can speed up, or you can change direction. Now, experiment has repeatedly illustrated that experienced drivers will react quicker to danger, on average, than a new driver. This doesn't mean that their reaction times are quicker, but rather their driving experienced helps them to spot the potential danger earlier, and therefore react more quickly to it.
And since you can't possibly react to a problem until you've actually spotted it, this illustrates why new drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents. So be extra alert at all times when driving and avoid any distractions, even ones that you think don't matter like fiddling with the radio to tune to your favourite station - anything that breaks your concentration on the road ahead is a bad idea.
Related Articles...
Oil in your car and oil pressure
Oil is not something that you might think is essential to the operation of a car, but infact it is. Oil acts as a lubricant for the moving parts such as the moving parts of the engine, and it is...
More on Motorway Driving
Signs that let you know there is a motorway ahead are rectangular, and they have a green background. This shows that they are information signs on a primary road.
The part with the reference...
Staying calm in your driving test
There is no doubt that many people get extremely nervous before the driving practical test, and whilst this can be frustrating or disconcerting, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Many people...
What to do at a box junction
The box junction is quite common but despite this there are a whole wide range of ways in which different drivers interpret what they are supposed to do at them so you will see different behaviours...
Taking the theory test if you don't speak English
Not everyone who takes the Driving Theory Test will be confident enough in their ability to speak and understand English to take the test. Whilst some people in Wales will want to take the test in...
Being aware of potential hazards
Having the maximum time possible to react to hazards is important and can be the difference between an awkward situation or even an accident and continuing safe driving.
This requires you not...
Road position and large vehicles
In a car there are of course blind spots, but as soon as you drive a lorry you realise how significant the blind spots are for those vehicles.
For one simple thing even with vans you can't...
Using emergency telephones
There are emergency telephones along motorways. There are telephones that occur roughly once per mile along the motorway which are connected to the emergency services.
There are also blue and...
Rules for learner drivers
The minimum ages and restrictions vary from one type of vehicle to another.
When you are learning to drive, you must ensure that the vehicle you are learning to drive in is roadworthy and also...
Dealing with nerves
Learning to drive can make people nervous, and even if you are a confident
driver then you may get nervous before the driving test itself. If this
happens to you, then don't worry. It is only...
Back to home page of driving theory test questions
