Road safety measures don't go far enough - Harte
A county councillor has claimed that measures announced by the Road Safety Authority aimed at young drivers will do little to alleviate the road carnage in Ireland.
Labour Party councillor Jimmy Harte says while the measures go a long way to combat reckless driving, the research from countries such as Sweden indicate that it is too late at 16 or 17 to instil discipline into young drivers.
New learner drivers will now have to take 12 hours of compulsory driving lessons and produce a signed log, showing that they underwent supervised practise, before they can sit their driving test.
'R' plates for newly qualified drivers, increased penalty points and stricter sentences for learner and novice drivers who break road traffic laws were also announced by the RSA last week.
But Cllr. Harte says research also shows that attitudes about safety are formed at an early age, long before legal driving, and on that basis it would also be important to target young adolescents. "The research also suggests that providing extra driving lessons at teenager stage will initially reduce their crash incidents but after about 18 months they return to their original habits," he said. "We must give them the ability to recognise danger long before they will think about driving a vehicle. In analysing what a driver needs to know in order to drive safely, it emerges that good manoeuvring skills alone are not enough. A driver must also have the will to behave correctly and the experience needed to enable him or her to behave correctly."
He said a driver must also understand that the social context affects what a person can do, wants to do, and is permitted to do as a driver.
"To be able to drive successfully, every learner must learn what is correct behaviour in different situations, what can affect behaviour, and how to develop thinking to be able to evaluate him - or herself, driving, and choice of transport in various situations."
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Friday 25 May 2012
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