Crashing Through The Generation Gap - AAMI

AAMI Insurance
October 20, 2008

This is the eighth annual AAMI Young Drivers Index. It is published to inform and educate the community about trends and issues related to young drivers. In recent years, the Index has focussed on topics including speeding, drink driving and the role technology plays in contributing to young drivers poor driving habits. In 2008, the AAMI Young Drivers Index focuses on how generational differences can influence driver behaviour. In this Index, the term 'young drivers' refers to drivers aged 18-24 and the term 'other drivers' refers to those aged 25 or older.

The Generation Gap Since the AAMI Young Drivers Index began eight years ago, it has consistently shown young people are more inclined to experiment, take more risks and push the boundaries of acceptable behavior on our roads, than other drivers. While young drivers, attitudes to speed, drink driving and drugs can largely be attributed to their inexperience on our roads, the generation to which they belong can also influence how they behave and what they think about these issues. The current group of young drivers is part of Generation Y ('Gen Y') and they are characterised as impatient, confident, tech-savvy and socially responsible. Many of these Gen Y attributes are reflected in the results of this year's AAMI Young Drivers' Index.

Speed Limits Young Lives Generation Y typically doesn't like waiting; whether it's for coffee, a promotion or a traffic light. This year's AAMI Young Drivers Index research shows young drivers are more impatient than other drivers on our roads, with 35 per cent describing themselves as quite impatient drivers compared with one in five other drivers (20 per cent). Speed remains one of the major factors causing young drivers to be disproportionately represented in the road toll, with young people 30 times more likely to die in transport accidents than people aged 25 and over1. While 14 per cent of young drivers say they never exceed the speed limit, almost half of all young drivers say they speed some of the time (49 per cent) and more than half of all young drivers (52 per cent) say they sometimes speed to get to work or home sooner. Young drivers are also more likely than other drivers to break speed limits by up to 10 km/h. One-third of young drivers said going five or 10 km/h over the speed limit wasn't really speeding compared to 28 per cent of drivers aged 25 years and over. Almost four in five (79 per cent) drivers aged 18 - 24 said they had been a passenger in a vehicle where the driver drove dangerously to show off, compared to less than two-thirds of other drivers (59 per cent).

Alcohol and Drugs - a Lethal Combination The other major contributing factor to the high number of young driver deaths is alcohol; drink driving remains one of the biggest killers on our roads. The AAMI Young Drivers Index shows Generation Y's confident nature is reflected in their attitudes to how alcohol and drugs can impact on their driving. More than one in five (21 per cent) young drivers said they sometimes took a different route to avoid being breathalysed when they had been drinking (21 per cent) compared to 15 per cent of other drivers. More than half (56 per cent) of all young drivers said they have been concerned they were over the limit when driving the next day after a heavy night of drinking, compared with 44 per cent of drivers aged 25 years and over. And it’s clear some young drivers remain unaware of the dangers of driving after taking drugs. More than one in 10 young drivers (12 per cent) believe a small amount of recreational drugs doesn't really affect their driving and 16 per cent of drivers aged 18 - 24 said driving after using recreational drugs was safer than driving after drinking. Only six per cent of other drivers supported both these statements.

Driven to Distraction Technology plays a big part in the lives of Generation Y. Mobile phones, MP3 players and computers are essential tools used by many every day. According to Social Researcher Mark McCrindle, almost three quarters of text messages are sent by Gen Ys, so it is inevitable some have been sent while driving. The AAMI Young Drivers Index shows 71 per cent of young drivers said they have sent or read a text message while driving. While slightly fewer than last year (75 per cent), the number of young drivers engaging in this dangerous behaviour is still alarmingly high. Young drivers are also becoming increasingly distracted by their MP3 players while driving, with 27 per cent agreeing with this statement compared with 20 per cent last year.

Sweeney Research conducted a telephone survey of 2503 men and women drivers, aged 18 years and older, in the following locations around Australia:

Adelaide, Ballarat, Bendigo and Shepparton, Batemans Bay, Bega and Ulladulla, Brisbane, Canberra, Central Queensland, Coffs, Harbour and Port Macquarie, Darwin, Geelong, Gold Coast, Hobart and Launceston, Melbourne, Newcastle and Gosford, North Queensland, Perth, Regional South Australia Regional Western Australia, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Tamworth, Toowoomba and Darling Downs, Wagga Wagga and Griffith, Wollongong and Nowra

This research is supported by an in-depth analysis of car insurance claims lodged in 2007 by AAMI customers in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory,Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. Source: Amazines.com