Young drivers do not obey road rules and feel stressed when driving, a study by an online car insurer has found.

The recent Newspoll study commissioned by this insurer, revealed serious concerns in the community about the driving behaviour of newly licensed drivers with 93% of survey respondents saying they’ve seen P-Platers driving too fast or not obeying road rules. 83% cited lack of experience by P-Platers as an issue.

CEO, Jacki Johnson said accidents involving P-Platers is one of the most serious problems affecting the safety of Aussie families on the road. There are a large number of young drivers on Australian roads. In NSW alone 371, 450 learner and provisional driving licenses were issued last year.

Younger drivers are also more stressed than their older counterparts with almost two thirds agreeing they feel stressed whilst driving.

Young drivers account for 25 per cent of drivers killed on Australia’s roads. 178 drivers aged 17-25 years were killed in road crashes in 2009.

The research reveals reckless driving habits of young drivers with over half (52%) saying they use their phone to make or receive calls (without hands-free) and 55% admitting to hold their phones to SMS when driving.

Parents could be a major positive influence on the driving behaviour of their children. Teaching kids to drive is a serious responsibility and a stressful one for most parents.

“Parents could play an important role as their teen’s first driver education instructors,” said Ms Johnson.

To help Aussie Mums and Dads become better informed and confident in guiding their teens through their learning-to-drive process, an online community of parents with P-Platers has been launched.

In an industry first initiative the community gives Australian parents a platform to discuss all facets of teaching and supervising their kids’ driving skills and behaviour and quickly access information and practical tools such as ‘Parent/P-Plater Driving Agreements’.

The goal of the community is to help parents make a positive impact on their teens’ driving behaviour with tips, news and research and ultimately help reduce the number of crashes involving young, inexperienced drivers on Australian roads.

The resources for the community are developed in consultation with an `online advisory committee’ which consists of customers, associates and industry experts who’re parents of learner or provisional drivers.

Mark Butcher, director of Drivers Skills Australia, a national defensive driving training organisation, is a member of the advisory committee.

“Sadly, most parents are only concerned with teaching their teens the basics of clutch control, steering techniques and basic road rules,” he said.

“Motor vehicles accidents claim many lives every year. So when teaching kids to drive, you should take the time to explain the importance of staying alert and driving safe. A white painted line is all that separates them from a possible drunk driver, tired driver or someone who isn’t paying attention. They need to be on guard all the time and ready to react to other drivers,” he added.

Parents can find useful tools and resources on the community’s Facebook page to assist them during the critical time of teaching their kids to drive. The Parents with ‘Ps’ page can be found with a simple search on Facebook.

Author Bio: Michelle Fraser is a Brand & Marketing Leader at The Buzz Insurance in Australia. If you are looking for Australian Car Insurance or Online Car Insurance Quotes, The Buzz Insurance can help you out.

Category: Family Concerns
Keywords: car insurance, teen driving, learner drivers