There is a strong argument for Graduated Driving Licencing. Some of the countries that have this system, have been doing this for decades (Australia 2000, New Zealand 1988, Canada 1994) and have 2 practical tests or 1 practical with 100 hours registered on a log book.  Also, their systems start from the age of 16years old, in Alberta, Canada, starting at 14. There are other options available to us, the multi-stage system, where newly qualified young drivers, would have to avoid driving between midnight and 4am or limit the passengers for six months.    

Now this may sound like a good idea at first and I believe would have some affect but only some. I have been a driving instructor for 10 years now and most of my students are off to university, or don't actually get a car straight away so they wont always get the experience in the first six or possibly 12 months. The other thing that would worry me is, that if a group of friends wanted to go to the beach for the day (and why not, most of us mum's and dad's did) and had to take two or more cars because they are restricted to only one passenger each, could this result in possibly racing!  

You can ONLY get experienced by driving many miles on many different types of roads. I am in favour for new drivers to have a black box fitted, for the first 10,000 miles of their driving, along with road speed limits that are fit for purpose. 

If it was mandatory, that all new drivers, HAVE to have a black box fitted in their car for the first 10,000 miles, this will install a particular driving habit for the driver, (programme safer driving habits so to speak) 

This may surprise you, it did me, that the UK population is equal to ALL of those countries that I mentioned, put together! We have approximately 1.7m tests every year with some 4 to 6 months waiting time. At the moment there is a shortage of driving examiners and each one carries out around 7 tests per day  so to  introduce a second test would double this number. The government just physically won't be able to this, not without extensive reorganisation and the employment of many, many more driving examiners. So we couldn't have this version of graduated driving licencing. What about restricting new drivers for the first six months after passing their driving test.

Why would we want to follow countries whose road safety record is below ours?  Currently, we are joint 6th safest country to drive in according to WHO (the World Health Organization) and Australia is No 17 with twice as many road deaths as the UK per 100,000 people, Canada No 19 and New Zealand is No 32 with nearly 3 times the road deaths per 100,000 people.  

There are a few other ways that we can reduce teenager road victims, we can keep them in their bedrooms until they are 25, that might be a little extreme but it would save a lot of lives. What I'm trying to say is, is that they have their lives to live and enjoy. In the countries that I have mentioned, teenagers are being restricted in their freedom, and while this is going to prevent some teenagers being a victim in a friend's car crash, there are other and, in my opinion, better ways. In most European countries, you can't drive until you are 18 years old but most countries have a worse accident rate than us.

We live in the 21st Century with many decades of experience and information about our roads.

We have technology that is, quite literally, out of this world and we are just not using it to it's full potential.     

Isn't it about time we did?

The proof is, Drivers with Black Boxes, Drive Safer   

Rob Underhay ADI driving instructor 

The World Of Driving Ltd