Analysis of Novice & Young Driver Crashes in Victoria [ABSTRACT ONLY]

Deaths due to road crashes involving newly licensed drivers are a major road safety concern, with first year drivers being three times more likely to be involved in casualty crashes compared with experienced drivers. Victoria has made significant gains in terms of increased levels of supervised on-road practice by learners. However, further safety improvements will require further optimisation of current strategies and the adoption of new measures. In order to identify potentially effective measures for future consideration, a detailed and systematic analysis is being undertaken of recent Victorian young/ novice driver crash data linked with licensing information. The focus of the present paper will be on the results of the key characteristics of young driver casualty crashes. Possible countermeasures will be identified based on the results of this analysis.