Plate Drivers And Fatal Traffic Accidents â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Plate Drivers And Fatal Traffic Accidents? Answer: Introducation P plate drivers refer to the probationary drivers who are at the initial stages of driving and have been licensed recently to authorize them for driving cars. Licenses are issued to them following proper driving test to assess their skills in driving. P license is usually issued for 1 year and it is expected on the part of the drivers to follow definite road safety guidelines. Zero percentage of blood alcohol content (BAC) must be noted for these drivers while driving. Driving speed limit below 80 km/hr is applicable for P plate drivers. Actions meant for P plate drivers The permission to hit the road all by oneself is granted through issuing of the probationary license. Statistically, the probationary or P plate drivers are more likely to cause road accidents as opposed to their experienced counterparts. It has been categorically mentioned in one report that in case of solo drive performance by a P plate driver, there remains 30 times chances of causing crashes and 3 times more likely to suffer injury or encounter death in contrast to the experienced drivers (Vintageroadhaulage.com.au, 2017). Types of P plate drivers P1 or red plate is valid for duration of 12 months during the time of probationary driving. P2 or green plate is applicable at the start of 12 months since when P1 license is granted to the driver and lasts for a minimum of three years. Measures to improve the graduated licensing scheme have been introduced in South Austrlia (Norman, Middleton and Nightingale 2015). Rules and Regulations for P plate drivers Specific instructions and guidelines are provided for the drivers regarding display of P plate Peer passenger restrictions are also applicable that need to be stringently followed. It is mandatory to display the plate for all times during driving. Carrying of license is must while driving. Use of mobile phones or any sort of messaging devices is strictly prohibited during driving. There should be no alcohol or illicit drugs inside the body while driving. Cancellation of license might be undertaken in case of violation of the rules and penalty may be imposed accordingly. Factors affecting road accidents during driving Drinking and driving- Consumption of alcohol that reduces the cognitive functioning and cause diminution of alertness. Intake of drugs that leads to euphoria thereby causing derangement of the emotional responses might be held responsible for causing road accidents. Talking on mobile phones while driving and driving in dim light at night hours might also pose challenges and culminate in causing road accidents (Scott-Parker 2016). Measures to reduce crashes due to driving/ Current Strategies available Graduate Driver Learning (GDL) refers to a comprehensive program introduced with the aim of gradually increasing exposure of the new drivers to more complicated driving situations. The program comprises of learner, provisional and open license phases. Learner license phase refers to the condition in which the novice driver is exposed to lower risk situations for the sake of obtaining practical learning experience. Learner license entitles the new driver to learn under the vigilance of supervisors, might delay the licensure and mandate the desired work hours necessary to go to the next level alongside encouraging parental involvement during the entire process. Provisional license phase is meant for imposing restrictions thereby mitigating the chances of exposure to highly risky situations. Reduction of crash risk is fostered through implementation of GDL with parental involvement as a crucial and integral step in the process (Bates et al. 2014) Effectiveness of the programs undertaken Road Ready Pre-Licensing Driver Education Program Attitudinal and belief related factors that have been detected to accentuate risk during the provisional license period among the novice drivers irrespective of their age was addressed by virtue of this program. Effectiveness of the ACT Road Ready pre-licensing driver education program directed to alter the novice driver risk related attitudes and practices in conjunction with mitigating the offence and road crashes was confirmed through evaluation study (Lennon et al. 2016). Drivers Compliance to Road Safety GDL is mainly targeted for the young drivers to reduce the incidences of fatalities and injuries due to road accidents. Compliance to the restriction imposed by virtue of GDL is low for young drivers. Empirical findings have compared the effects of both formal as well as informal deterrence with regards to compliance behaviors in the P plate drivers by referring to Australian survey data. Results depicted that informal deterrence instead of formal deterrence has the potential of generating feelings of shame due to wrongdoing thereby relating to the young drivers compliance with road rules (Allen, Murphy and Bates 2015). Proposed Measures to reduce risk for P plate drivers Setting speed limits while driving and avoiding night time driving Refraining from driving being intoxicated due to drinking of alcohol or taking other drugs Carrying only the approved number of passengers while driving No representation of risky behaviors such as that of racing and others Conducting repeated appraisals of driving skills and knowledge Purchasing a car having good feedbacks and review Considering the fact that the young ones who are categorized as P plate drivers are most prone to result in causing road accidents in Australian domicile, a national strategy has been beckoned by the concerned authority to mitigate the issue. The recent action plan has take into account certain broad safety measures encompassing safe roadside practices, improvement directed in terms of rendering protection for the vehicle occupant in conjunction with emphasis laid upon drink an drug driving has been put in force. The actions and strategies that have been improvised and implemented include: Implementation and evaluation of best practice educational programs as well as graduate licensing systems concerning the novice drivers Promotion of community in addition to industry participation in case of chief graduate licensing initiatives To increase public awareness regarding the safety benefits for the novice drivers emphasizing on: Lending extensive support before permitting solo driving Restricting access to higher risk driving like that of late night driving, driving with peer passengers in alliance to drinking and driving Further measures that are put in place to combat the road accidents and safety for the novice drivers in Australia include: Anti-hoon legislation to deter offenders who are accused of excess noise, street racing, exhibitions of accelerations and burn-outs, refusal to leave public place. Legislation in support of random roadside drug testing to check for the prudent application and implementation regarding prohibition on drug driving in Australian States and Territories Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries as a measure to curb on speed in advertising initiated the Voluntary Code of Practice for Motor Vehicle Advertising Active engagement of the motoring clubs to successfully carry out driver training and education as well as driver education and awareness for the young or novice drivers References Aaa.asn.au (2017).Road safety and young Australians Background information for Australias delegates to the UN World Youth Assembly for Road Safety. [online] www.aaa.asn.au. Available at: https://www.aaa.asn.au/storage/Road%20Safety%20and%20Young%20Australians.pdf [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017]. Allen, S., Murphy, K. and Bates, L., 2015. What drives compliance? The effect of deterrence and shame emotions on young drivers compliance with road laws.Policing and Society, pp.1-15. Bates, L.J., Allen, S., Armstrong, K., Watson, B., King, M.J. and Davey, J., 2014. Graduated driver licensing: An international review.Sultan Qaboos university medical journal,14(4), p.e432. Lennon, A., Bates, L., Evenhuis, A. and Somoray, K., 2016. How effective is the ACT Road Ready Pre-Licencing Driver Education Program at changing novice driver risk related attitudes and reducing the offence and crash involvement of novice drivers in the ACT?. Norman, P., Middleton, N. and Nightingale, C., 2015. Enhancing South Australia's graduated licensing scheme through road safety partnerships and a strong evidence-base.Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety,26(4), p.54. Scott-Parker, B., 2016. Review of the graduated driver licensing programs in Australasia.Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety,27(4), p.15. Vintageroadhaulage.com.au 2017.P-Plate Drivers 30 Times More Likely To Crash - Australian Statistics. [online] Vintage Road Haulage. Available at: https://www.vintageroadhaulage.com.au/p-plate-drivers/ [Accessed 10 Sep. 2017].