« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
6. CONCLUSIONS
Key Findings
About the research
6.1 This research was commissioned by the Scottish Government, and undertaken by ODS Consulting. It explored the views of young people aged 16 to 25 towards road safety. It involved six focus groups - four with young men and two with young women. The groups were held in Glasgow and Scottish Borders. It is intended to inform the new Scottish Road Safety Strategy, which is currently being developed.
6.2 The study provided a very detailed insight into the perceptions, attitudes and experiences of young people. But, throughout the groups participants often contradicted themselves or changed their minds. Often, participants had not thought in detail about these issues before and were just beginning to shape their opinions.
Attitudes and experiences
6.3 Drivers rarely thought of the risks to themselves - either of being in an accident or getting caught driving dangerously. They focused strongly on risks for passengers and other road users. The young men and women had very high levels of trust in their friends as drivers.
6.4 Participants were very unsure about what the legal limit for drinking and driving was. Only one participant said that he had definitely driven while over the limit, but others gave examples that demonstrated that they probably had driven over the limit without realising it. Participants were much more likely travel with a drink driver if they too had been drinking, and were much more likely to travel with a close friend who had been drinking, rather than a friend of a friend or stranger.
6.5 Driving under the influence of drugs was generally seen as unacceptable - with the exception of prescription drugs. But cannabis was much more common and acceptable than other drugs like speed and cocaine.
6.6 Participants felt that speeding was very common and acceptable, particularly on quiet roads and motorways. Most participants said that they wore seatbelts all the time, although some did not always wear them - particularly in the back seat. A very small minority of participants had personal experience of driving illegally - in stolen cars, without a licence, and uninsured.
Influences on behaviour
6.7 The focus groups explored what influences behaviour as a passenger and driver, and how participants would respond to a range of potentially dangerous situations. There was no clear consensus on the main influences on behaviour as a driver or passenger. Some of the key factors identified included friends, peer pressure, risk of getting caught, music, other drivers, weather and parents. Drugs and alcohol were also seen as having a clear impact on driving behaviour.
6.8 Having friends in the car encouraged many drivers to show off, even though this had earlier been identified as poor driving behaviour. This contradicted earlier discussions where most participants said that they would not drive dangerously as they would not want to put their friends at risk. Parents only influenced behaviour when physically in the car - generally encouraging safer and more responsible driving, and promoting use of seatbelts.
6.9 Participants had their own limits of acceptable driving behaviour, beyond which they would intervene. These often fluctuated, but participants were most likely to intervene if:
- their friend was in what they perceived to be a particularly dangerous situation (generally involving drink driving);
- it was a close and trusted friend; or
- they could offer a practical solution.
6.10 Speeding was an issue that the participants found difficult to address (when travelling as a passenger), as they could not offer a practical solution and their only option was to say something to the driver. Participants felt that as passengers it was sometimes difficult to influence driver behaviour, and simply saying something did not always have an impact.
Rights and responsibilities
6.11 The focus groups explored young peoples' views towards rights and responsibilities as a driver and passenger. Participants were asked to consider a series of statements about rights and responsibilities, and discuss their views on these. Overall, participants strongly resisted suggestions of greater restrictions on younger drivers. They argued that these would be discriminatory and restrictive, and were not sure why young drivers - and not all new drivers - should be targeted. There was particularly strong resistance to measures which restrict how young people are able to use their cars, including limits on driving at night or carrying passengers. But participants did spontaneously suggest some potential measures to increase the safety of new drivers, including making Pass Plus mandatory or part of the driving test.
6.12 Participants felt that the Government had a responsibility for setting limits for safe driving behaviour and ensuring the physical condition of the roads. But this responsibility was shared by drivers and passengers who must adhere to the rules.
Emerging Themes
6.13 The study identified a number of key themes in young people's views on making the roads safer. These are set out in detail below.
- Changing and flexible opinions - Many participants changed their minds and contradicted themselves throughout the group - particularly the 16 to 19 year olds.
- Lack of awareness - Many participants simply did not know that young people are more at risk of involvement in a road accident. There also appears to be a prevalent attitude that serious accident and injury is something which happens to other people. In the future, it will be important to raise young people's awareness of the reality that young drivers are more likely to be involved in car accidents.
- Trust in the driver - Participants had very strong beliefs that if their friend was driving them somewhere, the friend would take great care not to put them in a risky or dangerous situation. But this level of trust is often misplaced - with many examples of friends driving while over the limit, speeding and so on. This high level of trust appears to result in young people being put in more risky situations with close friends than with those they know less well. Issues surrounding friendship and trust could be key areas for future road safety activity with this age group.
- Strong resistance to laws based on age - There was a very strong resistance from almost everyone about any rules which are stricter for young drivers than older ones. But, there was much more acceptance of stricter rules based on driving experience. There was widespread recognition that drivers generally get better and safer with more experience.
- Previous experiences - Many participants mentioned that being involved in an accident had a big impact on the way they drove. Most felt that it made them a better and more careful driver. But, it appears that hearing about accidents that others have been involved in does not have such a major impact.
- Minority of more extreme experiences - In speaking to 54 young participants, we found two participants (friends) with experience of stealing cars, driving without a licence, taking drugs and driving, and driving uninsured. This appears to be related to the neighbourhood the young people live in, and the culture of driving behaviour that exists there.
« Previous | Contents | Next »