Nothing changes unless behaviour changes: Helping teenagers G.R.O.W. to make safer driving choices.

Nothing changes unless behaviour changes.

I am going to talk about what for all of us in the driver training industry and as parents of young drivers is a crucial part of the training we provide. I will be looking at the driver training industry's goal of achieving safer roads, what the current reality is, what opportunities are there for change and what for us in the driving training industry is the way forward.

I'll be focusing in on the crucial things we must do as driving instructors to establish safe driving principles in the people we teach and help reduce the killed and seriously injured (KSI’s) on our roads each year. That is, how to help drivers of all ages but particularly those in the 17–25-year age category, observe safe driving principles, understand themselves, their decisions and how the choices they make massively impact their crash risk.

The Goal - Keeping Pupils Safe on Britain’s Roads after the driving test.

Today’s approach to training is quite different from my experience of passing a driving test back in the early 1980s. From what I recall and based on what I now know, I was pretty much taught what I needed to do to pass a test. I found that out the hard way when for the first time I had to reverse or drive forward into a bay, drive in the dark, on a country lane, a 2-lane dual carriageway or a Motorway at 70mph. I was not taught or remember having a discussion with my driving instructor about any of those things. So, after my driving test, I learnt from the experience of doing and watching other drivers and family who were not so qualified or necessarily guiding me to do the safest thing as my driving instructor would. The rest in terms of how I should behave, what my crash risk was, what things I did that were risky and what was not, I pretty much had to learn the hard way for myself. I now know that the way I was taught increased my crash risk.

Thankfully, things have changed since the early ’80s, the driving theory test is more comprehensive, and the driving test now reflects more realistic driving scenarios. We can now give learner drivers motorway lessons and with the National Driver and Rider Standards and Learning to Drive syllabus, there is a much stronger focus on the principles of safe driving and what happens after the driving test to keep safe.

However, it is clear we still have a long way to go considering the driving standard, the risks, and behaviours of other drivers we witness every day on today’s roads as we train. Examples of poor and risky driving behaviour are there to see in videos all over YouTube and social media and seen at its worst on specialist TV programmes that show the degree of recklessness there is.

With 1,750 killed in 2019 (DfT Report into road casualties in Britain) the trend in the number of fatalities on our roads has been broadly flat since 2010. As an industry, if we are to reduce the numbers of KSI’s published every year in Britain today, then way above all the good things that we do when teaching someone the skills to drive, setting a goal of helping a learner driver understand their personality, their behaviour and how that impacts directly on their safety and the safety of others must be the most important thing that we can do to save lives after the driving test.

If we do not help pupils to understand and address their behaviour (their decisions and actions) as well as the knowledge and understanding of the risk, then, in my opinion, we are not achieving our industry’s goal of keeping pupils safe on Britain’s roads after the driving test. We are missing a vital opportunity to help pupils after they leave us to ensure they are reducing the risks of injury and death for themselves, their friends, their families, and other road users. The behaviour of drivers is a large part of what determines crash risk, not just knowing some things are risky and some are not. So, how big is the problem and what is the current reality as an industry we must deal with? Find out in part 2.

The Reality - Too many risky decisions are being made every day that can result in horrific consequences.

To help pupils achieve the goal of keeping safe on Britain’s roads there are some specific skills instructors need and an emphasis on behaviours of pupils of all ages during lessons that go beyond teaching the practical skills to pass a driving test.

Depending on the individual, the conversations we have with a teenager are likely to be different to those we have with an older learner driver. Because of brain development in young adolescents, a person’s age has an impact on decision making. We should not teach everyone the same, every pupil is unique, their behaviours, experiences, personal circumstances, their understanding, their world view, their goals, and aspirations.

Teaching young adults and teenagers in the high-risk category is a big part of what we do. According to figures published by the DfT in 2019 of all those passing their driving test in all age groups approximately 70% (510,000) were in the 17–25-year-old age category. The category where drivers are at a greater risk of having an accident after they pass their test. Around 45% (328,000) almost half of those who passed in that year were teenagers under the age of 20.

Driving behaviours such as inappropriate speed, not wearing seatbelts, driving with distractions and mobile phone use are some of the riskiest things younger drivers do. This age category is still considered to be the riskiest and the figures continue to show this. In 2019 the DfT reported there were 26,988 total casualties, 5,356 seriously injured and 248 fatalities. A disproportionately higher number of deaths in the 17–24-year age category than any other. So, what is it about teenagers that makes them more at risk and what more can we do?

Did you know teenagers are supposed to take risks?

As a society, we educate teenagers in schools and colleges more than we have ever done on social attitudes and risks around smoking, drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, dangerous driving, and peer pressure. Recent research has demonstrated that teenagers are just as good at evaluating risks as adults. Adolescents know what risky behaviours are, but they still engage in them. The question is why? Why is risk-taking higher during adolescence than during any other period in a person’s life?

The answer is because they are supposed to take risks at that age. It has been shown in research across mammal species including chimpanzees and humans that through puberty while our brains are still developing, evolution has built-in risk-taking behaviour in adolescents at a time when we are supposed to break free of our parental bonds and take our own risks out in the big wide world. We are hard-wired to do it.

There have been occasions when we have used this risk-taking behaviour to mankind’s advantage. Did you know the average age of those in mission control during the first Apollo moon landing was just 28 and the learning was all on the fly? After all, no one had attempted to land a man on the moon before. Their age was regarded by NASA as an asset for the mission. It was not that they did not understand the risks, it was that they were not afraid of taking them.

When the on-board flight navigation computer of the lunar module failed on the way down to the surface, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin asked what they should do. With seconds of fuel left the critical ‘go or abort’ decision was made by the guidance officer in mission control on that day Steve Bales, he was just 26 years old. Heading up a group of young engineers, he had the responsibility of the lives of the astronauts, the mission, and the world on his shoulders. Not being 100% sure that it would be ok, he took a risk and gave the ‘go for landing’ command to Neil Armstrong and the rest is history.

Young brains are more focused on feeling the pleasure of doing something rather than the risk it poses.

So, what is going on with a young person’s brain that makes them so fearless? Around the time of puberty, there are major changes in the middle of the brain called the Limbic system. These changes involve the production of something called Dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that the brain gives out when it expects or experiences pleasure. The right amount of dopamine usually goes along with a good mood.

Dopamine contributes to feelings of, alertness, focus, motivation, and happiness and is ideal for learning, planning, and productivity. A flood of dopamine can produce temporary feelings of euphoria. There is more dopamine produced in adolescence than at any other time during brain development.

At the same time, a region of the adolescent brain in the pre-frontal cortex (PFC), (the bit behind your forehead) is developing but much, much slower. This is a crucial area of the brain that helps with decision-making and self-regulation in tasks such as driving and deters us from acting on impulse.

While adolescents are waiting for this part of their brain to catch up with the rest of their brain development. They use the Limbic area of the brain that is more strongly associated with rewards that produce dopamine. This is why we see teenagers more likely to act on impulse without thinking. Hence some of the problems we have with young adults making poor driving decisions. As well as a tendency to act on impulse and not be able to self-evaluate risks, as well as adults, do. Brain development, however, is not the only problem.

Young people take more risks when their peers are present.

Research from many studies around the world has also shown that typical risk taking in young people like smoking, drinking alcohol and experimenting with drugs and dangerous driving do not tend to take place when the young person is on their own. It is normally when they are with their friends. Adolescents are particularly influenced by their peers.

A classic experiment by Larry Steinberg which has now been replicated several times around the world. Has shown that if you get a young person to play a driving video game on their own where, they must get around a circuit as quickly as possible, he found the number of risks that different age groups take is around the same. However, when a young person has a few friends standing behind them, their presence watching significantly increases the number of driving risks young adults under the age of 25 take. It was also shown that peer presence has no effect on the number of risks that adults over the age of 25 take.

With peers influencing adolescents and young people at a time when dopamine is being produced in the brain like crazy. Without the front part of the brain not yet ready to assist in mature self-regulation and preventing acting on impulse. This all makes for what has been described as a “perfect storm” of opportunities for risky behaviour.

It is this reality we must better understand if we are to work with young adults to reduce their crash risk.

The Opportunities - Develop Rapport and trust by understanding teenagers.

Trust and respect are key.

Many people believe that young adults and teenagers do risky things because they are not particularly good at evaluating risk. We quite often come across lots of negative stereotypical views in the media about young adults and teenagers. That they behave badly, they are lazy, irresponsible, anti-social, rude, disrespectful, they make bad decisions etc.

Being a young adult today with the pressures they face is a lot different from when we were teenagers. We should not forget what being a teenager is like in today’s society. As driving instructors, we must make sure we do not fall into that judgmental trap.

Getting to know your pupils is key. By taking the time to talk to them, you will be able to build a better understanding of who they are, what they think and believe and what their goals are. Discover how they interact with others. How do they deal with things that are difficult? What do they enjoy doing and what motivates them?

Remaining non-judgmental is crucial in helping the unique person we have at the side of us. We need to discover that uniqueness and not form attitudes or judgments of who we think that person is based on misconceptions about young people, what part of town they live or the social groups they are in. It is true that adolescents lack situational experience, but we are here to guide them to make good choices.

You are not a perfect robot driving machine.

Do not be afraid to tell them about yourself, your struggles learning to drive, your experiences, the things that make you human and not a robot driving machine that they need information from. This helps break down barriers and will help to build a more equal relationship. Show pupils who you really are that you have hobbies and family and pets and make mistakes, just like them. Yes, you are the expert, and you have the information and expertise they need, but you are not detached from them you are on their level in an equal learning partnership. Let them know that they can rely on you to help and support them achieve their goals. Do not sugar coat your feedback, be fair, positive, consistent, and totally honest with what you say and what you do around the principles and judgments they are learning.

Create trust with patience, understanding and a focus on them. If you are acting as their parent or saying things out of frustration, that is a problem with you, not them. So be sure to keep it on their agenda and not yours. Use your active listening skills both watching and listening with a non-judgemental approach, so your young pupil feels they are being listened to and that they have a valuable contribution to make. Use encouragement to show that you trust them and be ready to ask permission to give positive and honest feedback. Asking effective questions and listening to what they have learned from their experiences.

When you have good in-car communication and rapport, pupils will be more likely to listen and take on board what you are saying because they trust you as they would one of their peers. They are more likely to be responsive and answer the important questions around their thoughts, how they feel and what they believe. That helps you structure the training to help them. Remember that trust is 2-way and the more trustworthy you are the more trustworthy your pupil is likely to be.

The Way Forward

Consider how you can help pupils understand societal behaviour around rules and laws.

Here are four what I call general behavioural truths and it's conversations in the car about these that will help you and your pupil understand their behavioural risk and what they might do to reduce it.

1.      Laws are made by democratic parliament and are enforced by the appropriate authorities and the police who represent our society.

2.      Most people in a democratic society obey laws and rules that they believe in because it results in a peaceful society.

3.      It is the risk of being caught by the police and punished that reminds most people to obey the law.

4.      In society when deciding something we tend to ask ourselves what is the law? Do I think it is right or wrong? What do I risk if I do not follow or disobey the law? Is what I am doing a risk for me?

Educating the risks as they apply to them.

Buy helping young drivers understand these societal behaviours, why we see so much risky driving on Britain’s roads and the reasons why these drivers take risks. We are helping them understand themselves and their tendencies to take risk in different situations. How that risk increases with overconfidence in their abilities to deal with alcohol and drug use, tiredness, distractions, and unsafe driving practices such as using a mobile phone. How also this overconfidence may lead them to engage in distracted driving even though they understand that the behaviour is risky, but because they have not had a problem, yet they have decided it is not risky for them.

Conversations that help pupils understand and make better choices around what they believe.

What we believe as individuals determines how we behave. We consistently act in accordance with the beliefs we have about ourselves, our world view, things that happen to us, our life experiences, and the circumstances we find ourselves in. Our beliefs are what we have conditioned ourselves to accept without question and determine our day-to-day decision making inside and outside of the car.

Simply telling young people not to speed or show off in front of their friends because their risk increases is not enough. With education, most people understand the risks but still engage in the behaviour. If we are to see a continued reduction in the amount of poor and reckless driving decisions, we see every day and the number of curbside memorials to our young people. We must be better at educating pupils to help them understand behaviour and make better choices. To better understand themselves, the beliefs they have, the things that can influence their behaviour and how the decisions they make an impact on their crash risk.

Helping develop safe driving behaviours within our pupils starts right at the beginning of their learning journey on that first driving lesson when we help them to reflect on what went well, what did not go so well, what could they do differently to get a better and safer result and why that is important to them and others.

Rather than telling a pupil they should or should not do something, the better approach is to get to know that person, keep the conversation non-judgemental, a 2-way learning conversation where information is free-flowing, you can share your knowledge and it is trusted by the person. Talk to them about behaviours or about a situation seek to understand where they are coming from. Establish why they do what they do and what are their beliefs behind their behaviour.

Having the right conversations is crucial. Helping our pupils develop an understanding of themselves, who they are, who influences them and what situations might cause them to think and act in a risky way is important to help them stay safe.

Without trust achieving behavioural change is much harder

With great rapport and trust, open and honest discussions can happen. You can have conversations that address difficult topics, ask difficult questions and get honest answers to what is important to your pupil, their underlying attitudes, and beliefs and how they might behave after the driving test. Questions like "how you might you drive differently": -

After your test when I am not with you?

With your friends, on your own or with your family in the car?

When you are late for work or late to catch a plane?

How might you drive in an emergency?

What is your view on speed and speed cameras?

How might you drive when you are angry, excited, sad, in a high emotional state?

What are the consequences when you make a decision based on what you can do, rather than what you should do?

What will you do if your friends do not put on their seatbelt or encourage you to drive riskily?

How will you deal with distractions like your mobile phone?

What is your opinion of the law and rules around driving?

Conversations that take account of their thoughts, ideas, concerns help them to come up with their own solution as to what they might do to reduce their crash risk in situations like these. A solution much more powerful than one you might give to them.

Have more conversations like these and in my view, we will see safer roads as our young pupils of today develop into older drivers of tomorrow who continue to have control of their driving behaviours, keeping themselves and others safe on Britain’s roads.

Ray Seagrave

ORDIT Registered Driving Instructor Training