Raising the Driving Age to 18...

Australian "Little Pinky" anti-speeding campaign.

Introduction.

The Daily Mail Article.

Comments on this Article.

The Present System.

Assessment of their Proposals.

Alternative Solution.

Introduction.

The first part of this Article was written by Ray Massey: [Transport Editor] it was publish in Britain on 27th. December, 2007... in 'The Daily Mail'. It roughly outlines their campaign... in conjunction with the Association of British Insurers: [ABI] to get the Driving Age increased to 18... with a whole range of measures to improve the training for new drivers... so as to reduce the number of road fatalities. Bottom Line... we admire their sentiment... and agree with their objectives... but their Proposals are sadly misguided! There are very few positives... loads of negatives... they will make life a lot more difficult for a lot of people... and they won't improve anyone's life by one iota.

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Daily Mail Article... Driving Age 'Rising to 18'...

Tough new L-test designed to slash carnage on the roads will take a year to pass.

The driving age will effectively rise to 18 in a major overhaul of how young people are prepared for the road. Learners will still be granted their provisional licence from 17, but will need a year to pass a beefed-up test. It means the minimum age at which a new driver could realistically go out on his or her own will be 18.

The move follows a Daily Mail campaign, backed by the insurance industry, road safety campaigners and motoring groups, to raise the formal driving age to 18 to help cut accidents caused by young drivers. Road safety figures show that one in five new drivers aged between 17 to 19 crash within a year of passing their test. But for 17-year-olds the risk reduces by 43 per cent after the first year of driving.

The new structure, to be unveiled by ministers in a consultation document published in the New Year, will put more emphasis on issues such as avoiding reckless behaviour, hazard perception, over-confidence and other failings. *1.

Candidates will have to master key skills of the current driving test... including parallel parking, reversing around a corner and the three-point turn... before they are allowed to take a new practical L-test, *2. which they must pass to secure their full licence. Each mastered key skill will be signed off by a qualified instructor in a log book: *3. This will leave the examiner in the driving test to concentrate on more 'safety-critical' issues, such as dealing with junctions, roundabouts and moving traffic.

The test, which will be harder than the current one, will include elements such as driving on a duel carriageway and turning right at a busy junction. The learning process will also aim to give candidates experience of 'real world' driving on high-speed roads at night. Learner drivers will spend up to 500 hours mastering the key skills. Experts say candidates currently spend 100 hours behind the wheel before taking their tests: *4.

'This way the Government can effectively raise the driving age to 18 without having to specifically legislate,' Whitehall sources said: *5. 'It will take most people at least a year to be signed off by a qualified instructor on all the skills they need to master before taking the tougher L test. A few drivers 'with the skills of a Lewis Hamilton' may qualify to take the practical test, and secure a full licence, in less than a year, say Whitehall insiders. But they will be the exception rather than the rule: *6.

The Driving Test Now.

Theory Test.

Taken from age 17: in two parts.

Part One.

Multiple choice test: 50 questions.

Pass mark: 43 out of 50.

Part Two.

Hazard perception test of 14 video clips.

Practical Test.

2 Basic vehicle safety questions.

General driving ability.

Two reversing exercises.

An emergency stop.

The Proposed Changes: [Full details: DfT website]

Beefed up Theory Test.

About 1 year's training needed.

A more 'structured' learner syllabus.

Log book...

Drivers must master a series of 'Skills'

Parallel parking, Reversing, etc.

[before taking the Practical]

Practical Test.

Greater experience of high speed roads.

More 'real-world' driving lessons,

Such as turning right at busy junctions,

Using rural roads, and night driving.

The campaign to restrict young drivers... which also calls for tougher sentences for those who cause fatal crashes... follows a moving plea from Elizabeth Davidson, whose 26-year-old daughter was killed last year by a teenage driver: *7. Margaret Davidson's car was hit by 19-year-old Nolan Haworth at 70mph in a 50mph zone as he raced to court, while banned, to answer a charge of affray.

In September last year he was jailed for just four years after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving: *8. During the trial, Mrs Davidson moved the judge to tears by describing the devastation to her life caused by the death of her daughter, a doctor.

The restructuring of the driving test system will apply to all two million candidates a year of all ages: *9. The consultation will look at whether to insist on a given number of compulsory lessons with a qualified instructor. Affordability will be a key issue, with those from poorer backgrounds currently often relying on free tuition from family or friends: *10.

MP's have called for a 'zero' drink-drive limit of 20g/100ml of blood for novice drivers... similar to that for air crews... compared to the current standard drink-drive limit of 80mg/100ml. The Government says it will look at this under a separate review of the drink-drive limit. But ministers see difficulties enforcing it as police would not be sure which limit applied to drivers they stopped.

MP's have also called on the Government to prohibit new drivers from carrying passengers aged 10 to 20 between 11pm and 5am. The Government rejected this in 2002. But it will consider again the 'practicality and likely effectiveness' of these measures: *11. Recent research has shown that young drivers' brains are 'too immature' to drive safely. The frontal lobe... which controls emotion, risk-taking and decision making... is not fully developed until the age of 25: *12. And studies of driver attitudes show young motorists are more likely to drive for the pleasure of thrill-seeking, and feelings of pride, power and confidence: *13.

50% of Male Drivers under 21 crash in their first year of driving.

The road safety charity Brake said that raising from 17 to 18 the age at which young people can take their driving test would significantly reduce the 'disproportionate' number of young driver deaths and injuries on UK roads: *14. It said road crashes are the biggest killer of those aged 15 to 24, with 23 young drivers and passengers killed or seriously injured every day.

Nick Starling of the Association of British Insurers said: 'We must get away from the 'pass now, learn later' culture too many youngsters have: *15. Every day 140 drivers pass their driving test with less than six months driving experience. It is this lack of experience that makes young drivers so vulnerable: *16. Helping them gain experience of driving in different road conditions, such as at night and on wet roads, as part of the learning process will make them safer drivers: *17. and reduce the tragic waste of young lives on our roads.'

According to the ABI, male drivers aged 17-20 are 10 times as likely to be killed or seriously injured as more experienced motorists. Half of serious accidents involving young drivers occur at night.

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Comments on this Article.

*1. All of these things are related to the mental processes... while a positive attribute like hazard perception should improve given time and experience... other negative qualities, like, reckless behaviour, over-confidence and aggression can develop very quickly. But, these 'attitudes' and their subsequent, high-risk behaviour, tend to develop after a driver has gained their independence... not while they still have a supervising adult sitting next to them... and only a complete fool would openly display these qualities while taking a driving test.

*2. These things may be desirable but people do not die in large numbers because they are not very good at... parallel parking, reversing around a corner... or doing a three-point turn. Many people become safe drivers without ever 'mastering' these things... while others may drive like maniacs even though they are very good at these things. There is no connection between mastering these things [which are based on skill] and being a safe driver [which is much more to do with attitude.] This is a complete waste of time and money!

*3. In theory, not necessarily a bad idea. However, driving examiners are already very busy... if you are going to double their workload then you will also need to double the number of examiners... or people will end up waiting years for a test. Twice the cost... no discernable increase in safety.

*4. Having a compulsive number of hours means that people will have to keep 'Logs'... which can easily be forged. If someone thinks they are ready for their test... and faced with a choice... put a load of bogus entries in their Log and take the test now... or spend the next 2 years doing 400hrs practice, driving round the block... what are they going to do? Or... you make them go through an official driving school... which makes it horrendously expensive for everyone.

*5. 500hrs means putting 2hrs a day Mon-Fri for a year... or 10hrs every weekend. That would mean a massive commitment by 1,000,000+ people every year to act as unpaid driving instructors to friends and relatives... [most likely parents.] Or for those that don't have family or friends to teach them... and have to use a driving school... 500hrs @ £20 a pop = £10,000... which, for some people, could take 5 years or more.

*6. Those who have some natural ability... and are in a position where they can practice on a daily basis... might pass their test in under a year. But the 'Lewis Hamilton' wannabes are exactly the kind of drivers who will quickly develop into high-risk, 'boy-racers'... and are very likely to give you problems.

*7. Wheeling out a distraught parent to justify any changes to the Law is never a good idea... all objectivity is instantly lost. The fact is... this driver was already banned from driving. He was a known risk... and ended up killing someone because the Authorities failed to take any decisive action to curb his behaviour. They can order a 5-fold increase in training for a million new drivers a year... but that does nothing to stop illegal drivers like this. The people who let the system down here... are the Authorities!

*8. As the old Chinese saying goes... be careful what you wish for! Parents always want their children protected... but if the Police come to your door and tell you there has been an accident... and your child is a) in Hospital, or b) in Jail... this is likely to affect the way you see reckless drivers... and the kind of sentence you think they should receive.

*9. Not sure where they got this figure from?? but a few simple calculations will tell you that... with a population around the 60million mark... it is simply not possible to have 2 million new drivers every year. A figure in the 750,000-1 million range would probably be nearer the mark.

*10. If you suddenly increase the number of compulsory lessons required from official driving instructors... say, a million drivers looking for 10hrs tuition... you probably aren't going to have the capacity to meet the demand. And cost is also very important... not everyone will have Family and/or Friends who are prepared to put in 500hrs of instruction. Anyone who has to go through the whole process with a driving school could be looking at £10,000... just to get a licence.

*11. Another idea that should be rejected, because it is... a) too complicated... i.e. if you restrict passenger numbers to, say, 3... all you have to do is count... 1, 2, 3. Once you bring ages into the equation... you have to identify every individual and check their ages... are they 20?... or 21? And b) will create ridiculous anomalies... its OK for a 19-year-old to cruise around with three friends who are 21... but not 20?!? Or a 35-year-old mother... who gets stuck in traffic coming home from Grandma's place... at the stroke of 11p.m... mid-journey... her teenage children suddenly become illegal passengers... so what are her options? She can carry on driving and break the Law... pull over and wait till 5a.m... drop the kids off at the side of the road and tell them to get a Bus... or drive home like a maniac to beat the 11p.m. curfew. Four options... all bad!!!

*12. Young people may have a pre-disposition for taking risks... but not driving safely... and not having the physical capabilities... are two totally different things. When a young driver has a parent sitting next to them... or a police car right behind them... they will obey every rule... to the letter. Drop off the parents and pick up some friends... and the driving can change... in an instant. They know what is required of them... they are perfectly capable of doing it... and they will do it... if they have to. But many of them won't if you give them a choice. Which is why, simply giving them more tuition before you let them off the leash will not work... you still end up giving them a choice. You have to change the situation... so they can make their own decisions... but they know they are on a very short leash.

*13. Which is not exactly the discover of the century! What you need is an effective presence on the roads so that thrill-seekers are discouraged... and any feelings of pride are channelled in positive ways... like having to gain their full unrestricted licence in order to get a better car: [See "Graduated Licences"] or even attacking their manhood in a more negative way...

A controversial, but effective Advertisement which has been showing in NSW Australia since June 2007. The "Little Pinky" campaign is aimed at 'boy-racers' types... the implication is, that those who speed to impress, do so because they are 'appendagely challenged'. Click Here to see the video clip.

Australian, anti-speeding, "little pinky" campaign.

*14. This alone is unlikely to change anything. Very few people take their test when they are just past their 17th birthday... the vast majority are already nearer or past their 18th birthday by the time they get their licence. All you will be doing is delaying the situation by a couple of months... but you will still have the same number of new drivers going through the same learning process... so why would you expect a different outcome?

*15. You can't completely get away from the 'pass now, learn later' culture... because carrying out the instructions of a supervising adult can only ever be Stage 1 of the learning process. Drivers enter a totally different phase of learning once they start making their own decisions, unsupervised... managing their own risks... deciding on their own margins of error. At this point, behaviour can change very quickly... regardless of the time spent in Stage 1... and especially if they come under the negative influences of their Peers... or the prevailing Road Culture. [See website "Silence Kills"]

*16. "Every day 140 drivers pass their driving test with less than six months driving experience." [140 x 365 = 51,100... which means the rest of the new drivers... perhaps 95%??? have had more than 6 months training and are therefore closer to... or past their 18th birthday.] Young drivers aren't simply at risk because of a lack of experience... it may be a combination of many things... limited experience... over-confidence... poor hazard perception... a pre-disposition for taking risks... peer pressure... drink/drugs... reactionary driving with very low margins of error... and poor enforcement that allows them to quickly develop a pattern of high-risk behaviour.

*17. This is one point we would agree with... new drivers should be able to gain some experience... at night, in difficult road and weather conditions, and on motorways... before being allowed to tackle these things unsupervised. [But, as it stands there is absolutely nothing to stop any individual from spending extra hours practicing... or going out with an experienced driver the first time they go out at night... in bad weather conditions... on a motorway, etc.]

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The Present System...

When it comes to Road Safety... everyone has a part to play. And if someone has been driving around for the past 20 or 30 years without having an accident... they probably feel that they have played their part. However, under the existing regime a safe, law-abiding driver with a good record is just as likely to be punished as a dangerous, illegal driver who is a serial offender. The present system... as it stands... is a perverted sham which is failing at every turn and the responsibility for this lies with New Labour. The people who are failing the system are the Authorities... if anyone should be facing Fines and Prison... it is them!

The biggest single problem in Britain today, are the 2 million or so, illegal drivers: [2005, approx. 930,000 classified as 'persistent evaders'.] They tend to buy cheap unroadworthy vehicles... don't register them at their home address... have no Insurance... pay no Road Tax... and if they are involved in an accident, are much more likely to flee the scene. These illegal drivers come in a number of broad categories... there are illegal immigrants, who cannot get a licence... banned drivers, who have lost their licence... those who have never bothered getting a licence... those doing it purely for the economic advantage... and those involved in other criminal activities.

There are also large numbers of immigrants who are legally in the country but have vehicles with foreign number plates, but with the same problems... they don't re-register them after 6 months when they should... pay no Road Tax... maybe have no Insurance... can get any number of Tickets... and remain untraceable. Additionally, you also have a serious issue with some legal drivers... such as 'boy-racers'... who quickly develop into high-risk, problem drivers after they have passed their driving test. For most people... if you are going to have a crack-down on something... you start by enforcing the existing Laws on these serious offenders... you don't simply inflict more draconian Laws on those who have done nothing wrong.

The MOT. An unending supply of cheap unroadworthy vehicles are supplied to illegal drivers... courtesy of New Labour. When a law-abiding driver takes their old car for an MOT and finds out it will cost more to put it through the test than the car is worth... it has effectively come to the end of its useful life. At this point the MOT system should ensure that the vehicle is either... crushed, broken up for spares, or properly repaired by an accredited agent. The whole point of us paying £1billion a year for an MOT system is to make sure you are not sharing the roads with a multitude of death-traps. But is that what happens? In many instances those vehicles will go straight down to the local car auction where it will be snapped up for a few quid by an illegal driver... and straight back on the road again.

New Labour are very keen on passing new Laws... but strangely reluctant to enforce them. The Government are largely responsible for the current situation... by what they have done... and by what they have failed to do. If they really want to make the roads safer then they should start by putting their own house in order...

They are the ones who have lost control of our borders... allowing hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to remain... and become illegal drivers... with illegal vehicles.

They are the ones who allow an unending supply of unroadworthy vehicles to fall into the hands of illegal drivers at rock-bottom prices.

It is their system that makes it possible for one person to turn up and take the driving test for dozens of other people... because of inadequate identity checks.

They are the ones that will issue an illegal immigrant with a Ticket... and then allow them to drive away... knowing they will never turn up in Court.

They are the ones who allow serial offenders [like 19-year-old Nolan Haworth] to walk away from Court time and time again... with minimal Fines... and fail to ensure driving bans are enforced.

Even when they do get tough... confiscating 100,000 unroadworthy vehicles each year... with 2 million illegal vehicles... on average, this is a once in every 20 years event... and can be instantly replace for less than £100.

They are responsible for police officers spending half their time filling out forms... for cutting back on traffic patrols... reducing the chances of illegal or dangerous drivers being caught.

They are responsible for installing thousands of speed cameras... which allow illegal drivers to go unpunished... while issuing millions of Tickets to safe, law-abiding individuals.

They are the ones who have exacerbated the situation by putting a special levy on drivers who do pay for insurance... to cover the damage caused by those who don't bother... while reducing the average cost of being Fined [£150] for having no insurance.

When you create a situation where anyone can drive without a proper licence... get hold of a set of wheels for less than £100... drive around for years without any legal documentation... can avoid any kind of automated Fines... where your chances of getting stopped are minimal... Court Fines very low... where you can simply run away from accidents... why would anyone be surprised when this results in 2 million illegal drivers on the roads. The only real surprise is that we still have 28 million legal drivers!

Jan. 2008. Right on cue... the Sentencing Guidelines Council issues their latest guidelines which will free millions of illegal drivers from the risk of imprisonment if they kill. The unlicensed... uninsured... and serial offenders... can all expect to escape with a "Community Punishment" unless there are "Aggravating Factors". If you were in any doubt about joining the ranks of illegal drivers... the Government have just given you the green light! [Read full Article.]

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Assessment of their Proposals.

If the present system has produced 2 million illegal drivers... you can guarantee that there are many more just waiting to be pushed over the edge. Enter The Daily Mail... whose proposals will take us even further down New Labour's Highway to Hell. For a new driver who wants to stay law-abiding in will be a huge increase in the time and money required to get a licence. And if you don't have the time... because of work? or studies? you don't have anyone that is prepared to commit 500hrs of their spare time... you don't have £10,000 to go through a driving school... you might never get a licence.

With modern society being so geared up to the private motor vehicle... it can become almost impossible to function without a driving licence. You cannot get a job that involves driving... your lack of mobility will severely limit you in the jobs market... in terms of the places you can go... and the hours you are available. While at the same time having to compete against hundreds of thousands of other EU citizens who's licences will be perfectly valid in the UK... without ever having to go through these rigorous new tests.

If you create a scenario where having a car is essential for a job... but getting a driving licence is very expensive and time consuming... MOT inspections are strict... Road Tax high... Insurance unaffordable... where you get Fined for every kind of offence, no matter how you drive... then for many people... breaking the law becomes the only logical choice.

This system will certainly put the law-abiding majority to great inconvenience and huge expense... it will swell the ranks of illegal drivers... but they will still end up with the same number of drivers going through the same basic learning process... while failing to address any of the major issues. It is impossible to see where any improvements can come with such a system. A new system like this will cause individuals to act and react in a variety of different ways depending on their attitudes and circumstances. Some reactions might include...

Those who are illegal drivers now... will remain illegal drivers... so no improvement there.

All those who would have joined their ranks in the coming years will continue to do so... so again, no improvement.

Many of those who are near the edge... for whatever reason... but would not have become illegal drivers... will be pushed over the edge... producing even more illegal drivers... a negative.

There will be some budding young 'Lewis Hamiltons' who have quite good technical skills... have the opportunity to drive on a daily basis... and qualify very quickly... becoming instant 'boy-racers'... the very people they need to control... they let loose!

Some people will do exactly the same amount of practice they would have done anyway... but make false entries in their 'Log' to prove they have done all the necessary training... no improvement: [and you will have created a system that is guaranteed to produce liars.]

Some people who don't have any access to a free teacher will have to pay thousands of pounds and possibly take many years to qualify through a driving school... quite a negative for the individuals affected.

Some people will drive the extra miles... use up their time, their teachers time, spend money on fuel, lose money on the wear and tear of their vehicle... pass their test... and still turn into a 'boy-racer' within a few weeks. So, no improvement here.

For some, especially in the lower socio-economic groups, who don't have a free teacher... or thousands of pounds for a driving school... and don't want to break the Law... a driving licence will be out of their reach... and very detrimental to their long-term employment prospects. Again, very negative for anyone affected.

Finally... there will be those who do all the training... actually do become better, safer drivers... and perhaps do avoid a fatal collision. [But, as it stands there is absolutely nothing to stop any individual from spending extra hours practicing if they want too.]

But... at the same time... there will also be those who set out to do their 500hrs of training... and have an accident in the process... which they could have avoided.

Costs and Statistics...

At the beginning of the Daily Mail campaign they use to quote figures from an official Government Report which claimed that raising the age new drivers could take their driving test from 17 to 18 could save up to 1,000 lives "or injuries" per year... which would normally equate to something in the region of... 90-100 deaths and 900 injuries. Somehow, this figure seems to have fallen by the wayside... and been replaced with a figure of 1,000 "deaths". The figures were rather dubious to start with... now they have lost all credibility.

Statistics will be produced for... deaths per 100,000 population... deaths per 100,000 vehicles... deaths per 100million kilometres travelled... deaths per billion miles travelled... etc. etc. In the UK... deaths per billion miles... a very rough calculation would give you... 30million vehicles doing an average of 10-12,000 miles each... [30mX10-12,000 = 300-360billion miles... divided by 2006 figure of 3,172 fatalities.]

Now... this is just a back-of-a-fag-packet type of calculation... but it should give a rough idea... calculate 300-360billion miles divided by 3,172 fatalities... that means we would expect to have, roughly... 10 fatalities and about 10X that number of serious injuries... [plus, a countless number of minor prangs] for every 1billions miles we travel as a nation.

So... if you are going to ask 1million new drivers to spend an extra 400hrs out on the roads practicing... on city streets... on country roads... and on motorways... that's 1millionX400 = 400million extra hours at say?? 25 miles per hour, average... which equals 10billion extra miles. And as a quick calculation will show... 10billion miles = 100 deaths and approx 10X that number of serious injuries... which should just about get us back to where we started!

Costs. What would this kind of system cost to run... as an individual... and as a country? Working from a figure of 1million new drivers per year... an extra 400hrs of your time, and a Friend or Relative... perhaps using up a gallon of fuel every hour... that's 400hrs @ £4 per gallon = £1,600... plus an extra 10,000 miles wear and tear... and the devaluation on the vehicle. As a nation... that's an extra £1.6billion worth of imported fuel... the extra wear and tear on a million vehicles... and an increase of 2-3% in traffic volume. [And if you have to do the whole course through a driving school... £10,000+] The bottom line is just a mass of negatives, to... the accident rate... balance of payments... congestion... pollution... your time... your pocket... the Nation... and the Planet.

So, the negatives pile up... but will they make you any safer as an individual? Anyone who is out on the roads could become a casualty... and this won't make any difference. As a driver... all the major risk factors remain in your own hands... according to what you drive... and the way you drive. If you go out and drive like a maniac... your most likely victim will be yourself... and those people who choose to ride with you. It you choose to drive as safely as possible... becoming a low-risk driver rather than a high-risk one... you can improve your personal safety by a factor of 10X.

If these new proposals did save 100 lives... they would never be 100 individuals you could positively identify... just a statistical blip. It would create an environment that would mean each of us was statistically, less likely to become a random victim... and that would work out as 100 divided by 60million population... which equals... 0.0000017%. Statistically, the Government might be able to improve your personal safety on the roads by 0.0000017%... you have the ability to improve it by 1000%. Basically, they will make your life a lot more difficult... a lot more expensive... and what they give you in return will be so small you will never notice it. If you want to improve your personal safety... you really need to do it for yourself.

10,000 Years. As can be seen from the figures... statistically, 1 fatality will occur for every 100million miles we drive. Or to put it another way... if 1 'average' individual drove 10,000 miles a year... they could expect to have 1 fatal accident every 10,000 years... even if they exceeded speed limits and used their mobile on a daily basis. If an individual has limited experience... and indulges in high-risk practices on a daily basis... then the chances of them having some kind of accident within the next few years becomes very high. When 2 or more of these high-risk individuals start to 'Interact' with each other on a public highway... an accident may be only minutes away. And that is the difference between targeting 'the worst of the worst'... and targeting ordinary drivers.

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Alternative Solution...

If you want to see a significant reduction in road accidents then you will have to make some very radical changes... but they need to be specific changes... targeted... at very specific problem areas. When it comes to New Drivers... this should include an effective 2-stage learning process... but, a 'Graduated' or 'Probationary' Licence scheme. Basically, you train new drivers as best you can... give them their independence... keep a close eye on them... and when problems start to develop... take effective action against the individuals concerned. You don't just beat everyone with a big stick... regardless of whether they are a problem or not!!

Illegal Drivers... the Government should also target every form of illegal activity... the unroadworthy... uninsured... untaxed... unlicensed... and the serious and persistent offenders. They also need to get tough on those drivers who cause death or injury to innocent bystanders, [particularly... hit-and-run drivers: joy-riders: banned drivers: drink/drug drivers... and anyone trying to outrun the police] because of reckless behaviour. These individuals are already part of a high-risk group... but even within this group their are low-risk and high-risk drivers. The worst 5-10% of this group... the worst of the worst... perhaps something in the region of 1-200,000 individuals... will cause society more problems than 10million experienced drivers.

This whole website outlines a Concept that could significantly reduce road accidents without costing drivers a fortune. 1million experienced drivers spending 10-20hrs a year as Road Supervisors... keeping an eye on all drivers... rather than 1million drivers spending an extra 400hrs per year... each keeping an eye on one specific driver. A much more efficient use of resources. Whether it is a system that drivers would want to live with is another matter!?! [A few suggestions...

1. Better training for new Drivers? [Possibly!]

2. Identity checks for people taking driving tests.

3. A Graduated Licence system? [Definitely!]

4. Compulsory use of P-plates: [so new drivers can easily be identified.]

5. Limited to 3 passengers.

6. Restricted to the lower powered type cars.

7. 'Curfew' restrictions: [if a driver becomes a problem.]

8. A Road Supervisor type system: [to identify problem drivers.]

9. A Review Panels type system: [to re-train, re-educate problem drivers.]

10. Crackdown on all illegal vehicles and drivers.

11. Random Roadblocks: [checking for every type of offence.]

12. Vehicles with less than 3 months MOT not for sale to the public.