Meeting of the Parliament 25 March 2014
I believe that that would be an appropriate way to go forward. Again, however, I emphasise that the testing process appears to be incapable of identifying the young drivers who are at most risk of getting involved in serious accidents. It is those who are most confident and who have the greatest ability to pass any test that we put in front of them who will eventually overstretch themselves and find themselves involved in such accidents.
That is why education must always have a place. We can start that education early with our young people—long before we even begin the driver training process. It is disappointing that the joint efforts by the councils and the police force in the north-east over recent years appear not to have found favour with Scotland’s national police force after reorganisation. The work that was done between the councils and the police force in schools in the north-east went a long way in explaining to individuals the risks that they would face as young drivers, particularly in the peculiar north-east environment, where it appears that the roads invite young drivers to exceed the speed limit and then throw them off at the first corner.
Another issue that has been raised frequently in the debate is that of driver training and young driver assessment, on which we have found a significant degree of agreement. I think that the idea of allowing young drivers to begin their training before the age of 17 has found favour in every corner of the chamber. It is vital that we ensure that long periods of training take place. If we are going to allow our young drivers to drive at 17, they should have a significant level of, and time in, training behind them before then. I believe that the idea of allowing young drivers to drive under instruction on the public roads when they are 16 and a half or even 16 will find a great deal of favour.
When I spoke earlier in the debate, I mentioned what I described as in-car devices, which other members described during the debate as black boxes—I think that it was Clare Adamson who first used that term in the debate. However, there is a level of technology that will allow us to assess a young driver’s performance and that will demonstrate whether they take any risks. One member pointed out that such technology also provides the opportunity for those who can demonstrate their ability to reduce their insurance costs.
It has been a constructive debate that has contained much that I can support, so I look forward to decision time.
15:25