Abstract

Road injury is the leading cause of death and injury among young people aged 12–24 years in Australia and one young person dies on the road every day. Young people are at greater risk of injury and being involved in a car crash than any other age group. Unfortunately, the inexperience young people have with driving and the fact they are still developing maturity, hazard perception, and decision making skills into their 20s means that they are at greater risk of having a crash. The waste and suffering that is involved with car crashes is not only unintentional, but also on the whole largely preventable. The costs include hospitalisation, ongoing medical fees, pain and inconvenience caused by injuries, lost time from work, or lost productivity while recovering. This paper discusses the main risk factors involved in driver road crashes, and also examines the findings from a survey (n=60) of people's opinions of young drivers and road safety.