Driving Home the Importance of Driver Responsibility

Driving Home the Importance of Driver Responsibility

In the UK, 23,486 people were killed or seriously injured in reported road traffic accidents during 2020, according to the Department for Transport. This figure was despite the UK being in national lockdown for 4 months of 2020 during which time there were significantly less vehicles on the road, illustrating the need for actions to be taken to make UK roads safer.

There are many behaviours which lead to dangerous driving such as drinking alcohol or taking drugs before getting behind the wheel, driving when tired, using a mobile device when driving, and speeding. The common denominator in these behaviours is personal choice by each individual driver. Although peer pressure may influence the decision of an individual to drive when they have been drinking, or race against their friend for example, ultimately the final decision and subsequent action rests upon the driver. An understanding of the significant responsibilities of being a driver is an essential aspect of driver education and one that has scope to be developed in the UK system.

A compulsory course to produce socially aware, conscious, and considerate drivers, alongside the current mandatory theory and practical driving tests has the potential to reduce serious road traffic accidents and fatalities with an appeal to emotion. Most people have at least one close relative or friend that they care about and for who they are likely to feel emotional pain if they were to be injured or killed. This common aspect of humanity can be utilised to encourage people to consider their decisions around driving and the resulting potential consequences. Talks from the families of people who have been killed in road traffic accidents and from individuals who have been seriously injured could make the consequences of dangerous driving more real compared to a pre-recorded video. Such talks could take place via video calls with a group of participants, but the key aspect would be that they were live, in order to engage the group in a meaningful and effective way and use interactions through Q and A sessions to increase engagement further. Individuals who have undertaken dangerous driving could speak about the consequences for them and how it has affected their lives so participants can gain a perspective from both sides; this is important as some narratives will resonate with participants more than others.

Alongside the emotional content, practical techniques could be taught to equip individuals with the skills to make good decisions such as planning how to safely travel home before going out for the evening or practising verbal responses to use in peer pressure situations. A combination of the emotional content providing motivation to be a safe driver and practical skills to allow individuals to follow through on their good intentions has the potential to affect real change in driving behaviours. For those who have already passed their driving test, a free booster course could be made available every 5 years to remind drivers of their responsibilities and the courses could be delivered with government subsidy at a low-cost with profits being donated to the families of those who have died or been seriously injured due to road traffic accidents.

On a personal level I have heard of several friends behaving irresponsibly when behind the steering wheel, typically within the first few months of driving when the new-found freedom is a novelty. These behaviours have included speeding and using mobile phones whilst driving, and on one occasion resulted in a road traffic accident although thankfully no one was seriously injured. This friend was able to reflect on her behaviour and turned the negative situation into a positive outcome by speaking to other young people in local schools about her experience and the dangers of driving irresponsibly. Her younger brother was in her car at the time and the thought that she could have injured him was a significant motivating factor in her desire to share her experiences for the benefit of others. Peer to peer story sharing can be a powerful tool for motivating young people to modify their driving behaviour to safer levels, which is why I propose that it forms part of compulsory driver education.

It is important to realise that even with the best intentions drivers can develop bad habits if they are not vigilant. I have been tempted to answer my mobile phone whilst driving and because of this I now keep my phone inside my handbag in the back of the car so I cannot reach it if it starts ringing. If I think the call could be important then I will find a safe place to pull over and then call back. This may seem like a lot of extra effort at first but as with any repeated behaviour it becomes a habit that eventually does not require any additional thought to carry out. Forming healthy driving habits could be one element of the practical techniques that are taught during the driver responsibility course that I propose becomes a mandatory part of drivers education in the UK, with the aim of reducing the number of road traffic accidents.

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