12 recommendations to improve young and novice driver safety in Qatar

Graduated driver licensing (GDL), improved licensing and training, and improved young driver culture and attitudes are among the 12 recommendations to increase young and novice driver safety in Qatar, according to an article published recently.Published on Qscience.com last week from the 'Journal of Emergency Medicine, Trauma and Acute Care', a peer-reviewed journal, the study highlights that young driver behaviour and safety are key concerns in Qatar, where they are disproportionately represented among road victims and fatalities. QScience.com is the collaborative, peer-reviewed, online publishing platform from Hamad bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press). It offers a fast and transparent Open Access scholarly publishing process, which is centred on the author, bringing their research to a global audience.This paper summarises the proceedings of a workshop titled 'Enhancing the Safety of Young and Novice Drivers in Qatar', held as a pre-conference workshop of the 24th World Congress of the International Traffic Medicine Association in Doha.A guided discussion was conducted among a selected multi-sectoral group of 50 stakeholders, representing Law Enforcement, Health, Society and Education, Transport, and Road Safety. Each group discussed the best evidence and local realities of young driver safety in Qatar. Using a modified Delphi approach, key areas were identified and prioritised; consensus recommendations were obtained and summarisedThe authors, Rafael Consunji, Guillaume Alinier, Aisha Fathi Abeid, Lynda M Murray and Brian Fildes, have complied a dozen recommendations supported by relevant published evidence as well as expert opinion. The article also says these suggestions have been shared with the relevant authorities for future policies. Road traffic injury (RTI) rates have been decreasing steadily since 2006 but are still the leading cause of death for the population of Qatar, from ages 1 to 45 years. Young drivers, defined as less than 30 years of age, have been identified by various researchers as the highest risk population for RTI and motor vehicle crashes in QatarOne key recommendation is GDL, which is designed to provide new drivers with driving experience and skills gradually over time in low-risk environments. GDL appears to be most effective for those who are at initially the highest risk, such as young males and hence it would be a beneficial system to adopt in Qatar.Another recommendation is improved police enforcement with enhanced demerit points for young drivers and drug testing. The article explains, “Police enforcement can be achieved in several passive and active ways. The passive methods are already extensively implemented in Qatar and include fixed and mobile surveillance and speed cameras as well as occasional roadside monitoring by police officers. The active enforcement methods involve interactions between police officers and drivers.”Another major recommendation is improved licensing and training. “There have been several reviews performed evaluating the effectiveness of driver education and training on road safety, most of which show little support to traditional driver training. However, caution should be taken when interpreting these findings as many studies introduce numerous confounding variables by way of design,” says the article.Development and adoption of technology to make vehicles safer is another recommendation. It may include collision prevention technology, driver attention and situational awareness monitoring, as well as engineering or structural design features that protect vehicle passengers and pedestrians by absorbing the force of a collision and minimising passenger compartment intrusion.As for improved young driver culture and attitudes, the article says public education and media initiatives play a crucial role in fostering pro-safety attitudes and reinforcing enforcement practices. "Further research on young driver attitudes and culture-based behaviours along with the effectiveness of legislative, promotional and educational influences will benefit our understanding of the factors associated with young and novice driver crash involvement and risk."Driver fitness to drive with a greater focus on the functional outcome; improved roads and auditing; risk-based insurance; improved data and research; effective punishment; better access to rehabilitation; and alternative transport options are the other recommendations of the study.The article can be read at https://www.qscience.com/content/journals/10.5339/jemtac.2022.4