Novice drivers and road safety: managing risks in the first years

In Europe, young people can start driving as early as 17, provided an experienced driver accompanies them until they turn 18, or they are limited to driving within the national territory of their home country when driving alone. It is a big step towards independence, but also a risky one. Road crashes remain the leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29. Although young drivers make up only about 8% of all car drivers in Europe, they are involved in a disproportionate number of serious crashes, accounting for roughly two out of every five fatal crashes.

This over representation has multiple causes. Part of it is simple biology: the brain, especially the areas responsible for impulse control and risk assessment, continues to develop well into the twenties. Another part is social - youth culture, peer influence, lifestyle choices, and a higher tolerance for risk all play a role. On top of that, there is a lack of experience. Novice drivers are still developing key driving skills such as hazard perception, risk awareness, and the ability to accurately judge their own limits.

As a result, young drivers are more easily distracted, more likely to drive at night, more often fatigued, and less able to resist peer pressure. Unsurprisingly, they are over represented in crashes that occur in the dark, especially on weekend nights, and on rural roads, where speeds are higher, and road environments are less forgiving.

The first few years of driving are, therefore, a critical period. This is when driving skills are built, habits are formed, and a driver’s self image begins to take shape. Interestingly, research shows that actual driving skills do improve quickly with experience, but confidence develops even faster. Crash risk drops far more rapidly as drivers gain real world experience than it does simply with age. This means that time spent driving in varied, well managed conditions is crucial, but only if it is paired with realistic self assessment. Without that, experience can easily turn into overconfidence. Many novice drivers come to see themselves as competent, or even highly skilled, long before their abilities truly match that perception. Gender differences also emerge - female drivers tend to rate their safety skills higher than their vehicle handling skills, while male drivers often do the opposite. 

That insight has important implications for driver education. Training that focuses mainly on vehicle control and manoeuvring may increase risk by giving young drivers a false sense of confidence. What works better are programmes that challenge drivers to reflect on their behaviour, recognise their limits, and adopt safer attitudes. 

So, what can be done? There are multiple measures that can help:

  • Use graduated licensing systems. Introduce step by step licensing so novice drivers gain experience gradually, starting with accompanied driving and moving to independent driving under low risk conditions.
  • Focus training on safety attitudes, not just car control. Emphasise hazard perception, risk awareness, realistic self assessment, and safe decision making rather than vehicle handling alone.
  • Provide additional post‑licence training. Require a second phase of driver education within the first two years of independent driving, combining feedback, reflection, and real world driving experience.
  • Teach emergency response and first aid. Ensure novice drivers know how to behave when emergency vehicles approach, what to do at the scene of a crash, and how to provide basic first aid, including CPR.
  • Train drivers to use modern vehicle technologies safely. Assess and train knowledge of advanced driver assistance systems and automated technologies, including their limitations.
  • Set minimum requirements for accompanied driving. Avoid purely voluntary accompanied driving systems without guidance; specify duration, mileage, and exposure to different driving conditions to ensure real safety benefits.

The recent modernised EU rules on driving licences also introduced a probationary period of at least two years for novice drivers, during which they will be subject to stricter rules and/or sanctions, such as for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs,  or not complying with the rules on mandatory seat belt use. While such measures were already in place in several Member States, they have now also become mandatory under the EU driving licence rules.

Multiple Charter members have already invested a lot in developing best practices for novice drivers. Some of them are:

Alongside these examples, our Good Practice of the Month for May highlights an outstanding contribution from Platforma VIZE 0 in the Czech Republic. Their Hazard Perception Initiative modernises the national driver licensing system by integrating evidence-based hazard perception and prediction tools into testing and training. By using realistic scenarios, dynamic visualisations and interactive learning materials, the initiative helps novice drivers better recognise and respond to risk in real traffic situations. Reaching hundreds of thousands of learners each year and supported by strong collaboration between public authorities, insurers, police and educators, it demonstrates how innovative testing methods can strengthen young drivers’ safety skills and reduce crash risk during the most vulnerable early years of driving. Read more here

The measures described in this article - from structured licensing to targeted training and post-licence support - show that there are effective ways to reduce risk in the first years of driving. Our Charter members’ initiatives put these principles into action, proving that safer pathways for novice drivers are entirely achievable. The challenge now is to expand and align these efforts across Europe so that young drivers everywhere can build experience in safer, more supportive conditions.

Have a best practice or success story to share in this area? If you are an existing member and signed in, then submit them here.  

Sources:
Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport. (2025). Directive (EU) 2025/2205 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2025 on driving licences. Http://Data.Europa.Eu/Eli/Dir/2025/2205/Oj.

European Road Safety Observatory. (2025). Road safety thematic report - Young Novice Drivers. https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/b5d11259-e250-4d2a-8285-30237a1bfff7_en?filename=ERSO-TR-novicedrivers_2026.pdf

Lajunen, T., Sullman, M. J. M., & Gaygısız, E. (2022). Self-Assessed Driving Skills and Risky Driver Behaviour Among Young Drivers: A Cross-Sectional Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.840269