Should young drivers spend a year learning?

Insurance costs reflect the risk, so anything that reduces the risk of new drivers having an accident is good. So I cannot see how reducing the age to 161/2 would be other than counter-productive. More comprehensive training will help – pass plus helped my children and reduced their premiums. Monitoring boxes seem effective in checking driving habits and times, and reduce premiums for better driving. All this is fine for responsible drivers but a real problem is those others who simply do not get insured and will by-pass any system until caught. How do you penalise them – fines are less than their premium, scrapping their car leaves them free to get another, driving ban gets ignored. Would they respond if forced to pay for, and take, a driver-training course in addition to the penalty imposed? Who could provide it?

Have to add – The nearest I’ve ever come close to causing an accident was as a teenage when driving three friends who were encouraging me to go faster. As I turned a corner at speed – the car tipped onto two wheels. I didn’t roll over but nearly did -since then – some 65 years – I’ve driven safely.

The biggest problem is not “young drivers” as such – but irresponsible drivers. Especially uninsured irresponsible drivers. There should be a better way of ensuring uninsured drivers do not drive on the road again. An electronic tag that detects them on the road? Or imprisonment on first offence that includes regular enforced trips to road crashes where they have to clear up the mess including body parts. Such experiences have a very sobering effect on offenders.

It’s a good idea, after all I’ve learnt so much more since passing my test it scares me for my daughters sake because yes irresponsible drivers are a danger but so are inexperienced ones. It takes experience and patience to become a good driver and those intensive courses are really only teaching you to pass the test, not to be a long term responsible driver.

I am not sure that it is age that matters but the ability to act responsibly. Some will have this when they are 16 but it is fairly obvious that some who have passed the existing test have not developed sufficient responsibility. I do think the driving test should cover rather more than it does at present.

I do not understand why ABI wants restrictions on night-time driving for newly qualified drivers.

It doesn’t need to take a year before a young person can drive on their own but we do need a more structured training programme. Start with learning about the car and its controls in a “closed circuit” training centre at 16 1/2. How to change a tyre. Why tyre tread is important. Checking oil and water levels. What it feels like to stop dead from 10mph (in a full safety harness and neck brace of course!). Then a certain number of hours with a qualified instructor plus, if possible, supervised experience development. The stage one test would come at six months (aged 17) allowing limited unsupervised driving, e.g. no motorways, not between 10pm and 6am unless for work or education, only one passenger. Six months with further training including night driving, motorway driving and more closed circuit experience, e.g. skip pans. Then the final “full” test.

“Should young drivers spend a year learning?”
Some do and even when they eventually pass their test they’re still not very good at it.
But generally speaking I would agree there is no subsitute for experience. That’s why older drivers proportionally have fewer accidents and pay lower insurance premiums.
Perhaps “accelerated” supervised experience for young drivers might not be such a bad thing. I don’t really know if it would improve matters but I doubt it would make matters worse.
Perhaps a trial scheme?