Protecting pre-license teens from road risk : identifying risk-contributing factors and quantifying effects of intervention strategies

Abstract

In the Netherlands, teens between 10 and 17 years of age die almost as often from non-natural causes of death, such as (traffic) accidents, as from disease. Deliberate risk taking is frequently seen as the main cause, an assumption which is further supported by results from recent studies on adolescent brain development. The thesis modifies this view and points to two additional causes: 1. Increased exposure to risk: young adolescents shift their trips made in the relative safety of the back seat of their parents’ cars to riskier journeys made by bicycle and moped. 2. Inexperience with complex traffic situations: Despite being skilled cyclists, teens still have challenges in observing and comprehending complex traffic situations. For instance, in ‘blind spots of trucks,’ the incidence of youngsters’ risky decisions increases when the traffic situations become more complex. Furthermore, in the thesis the effects of two types of preventive measures were assessed: 1. road safety education in schools targeted at young people themselves. 2. the protective effects of safe traffic systems. Regarding the effects of road safety education programs, the thesis concludes that the majority of the investigated school programmes had some effect, whereas some programmes did not have any effect. One of the programmes improved youngsters’ understanding of risky situations, but did not improve their ability to make safe decisions in complex traffic situations. A safe traffic system ensures that risks remain manageable, for example, with roads that are safe by design or with procedures that regulate access to dangerous modes of transport. A comparison of road safety records between countries confirmed that – despite the risk-taking tendencies of teens – safe countries were also safe for their teens. Therefore, the thesis makes the following recommendations: 1. Only use road safety education programs in schools that have been evaluated and have shown to have a positive effect. 2. Continue investing in safe traffic systems, those that are safe by design. ISBN: 978-90-73946-132