DOI
Published 2021-11-02
Keywords
- Young drivers,
- road safety,
- driving school,
- traffic accidents
Abstract
Road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for young people worldwide. In the Republic of Croatia, young drivers cause a total of 9.6% of all road traffic accidents and 12.5% of road traffic accidents resulting in fatalities. Such unfavourable statistics point to the need to conduct research into the causes of road traffic accidents attributable to young drivers, including the possibilities of reducing these accidents and the loss of young lives. For this purpose, a survey was conducted on a sample of 740 young drivers from all over Croatia. The respondents were asked about their habits and behaviour after starting independent driving, about the consequences of reckless behaviour on the roads, the use of alcohol and narcotic drugs, and the use of mobile phones while driving. In addition, young drivers were asked to assess the quality of the three training courses they completed at the driving school and their opinion on the need for changes and improvements in training. The results of the research led to conclusions regarding the measures required to increase the quality of training of young drivers, as well as regarding optimal and viable solutions for raising awareness among young drivers, greater preparedness to drive alone, the development of traffic culture among young people, and consequently greater road safety.