Why I think drivers are getting worse
Driving technology is supposed to be making driving safer, but I am not so sure...
UK road accidents
UK road accidents were in decline until a recent flat line. All the figures then went down in 2020. Likely because of the pandemic.
But as we look forward to 2022, we see an increase.
We can't know the exact causes, but we can look at likely causes. One article shows drivers failing to look, being the most common cause.
This makes me question driver quality. The main things I thought of were:
Drivers getting worse after getting their licence.
Drivers getting a licence when they shouldn’t.
But both are likely true.
Some drivers may get complacent, even lazy, when driving.
Some could have had a lucky day for the test. Not as many decisions to make. Because every test is different.
However, I think there is a third option, which is the one I want to explore in this article.
Driving technology, impacting drivers’ quality.
Driving technology
Self-driving cars have been a popular topic of conversation recently.
I don't think they’ll be in the hands of everyone soon, but the tech is already impacting the way cars work.
Some articles argue technology makes driving safer. Showing the different levels of automation.
With various additions to cars like:
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.
Connected mobile apps and digital keys.
Electric cars.
360-degree camera.
Vehicle tracking software.
Blind-Spot View Monitor.
Teen driver tech.
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB).
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in cars.
Some additions more specific to those with disabilities:
Hand controls.
Automatic doors.
Steering devices.
Left-foot accelerators.
Lane departure warnings.
Backup cameras.
With many more features to be added in the future.
However, if this technology is taking away the decisions from the driver, then what is the driver really being tested on?
Licences
After passing your theory and practical test, you get your driving licence.
In the UK, there are various kinds of licences for different vehicles.
Car (Cat B).
Motorbike (Cat, A1, A2, and A).
Moped (Cat P or AM).
Medium-sized vehicles (cat C).
Large vehicles and lorries (cat C).
Minibus (Cat D1).
Bus (Cat D).
Agricultural tractor (Cat F).
Other specialist vehicles (Cat G, H, K).
Quad bikes (Cat B1).
Motor tricycle (Cat A and A1).
With the Cat B driving licence, there is an additional difference.
It could be manual or automatic.
So if you have an automatic licence, you would need to upgrade your licence to a manual licence in some cases.
The reason this is significant, is because the government rate automatic licence holders, as less able than manual licence holders.
Considering additional technology being added to vehicles, do we need more types of licences?
Licencing issue
International driving permit holders are legally allowed to drive in the UK. Without taking the UK driving test.
Despite there being no direct data for correlation, the world health organisation said that:
93% of the world's fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have approximately 60% of the world's vehicles.
Driver quality, being the most common cause of accidents.
Although data in this area is not as rigorous as I would like, the UK was given a 16th hardest practical test ranking.
Yet, those that pass elsewhere are still legally qualified to drive on the road.
So someone could pass a lower quality test, but be qualified to drive.
If a person has a licence to drive, they are responsible for the vehicle.
But, I think, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency are also responsible for issuing the licence in the first place.
Driver quality, albeit a skill that changes with experience, is measured by the test you take before you start driving on the road.
As technology impacts the decisions drivers make on their test, and tests relate to driver quality, either the test needs to change, or the licencing.
Future licensing
There are a few solutions that I can think of.
First, altering the testing.
This doesn't seem sensible, as there are too many technological, environmental, and personal differences, that would need to be considered.
Second, adding licences for each type of driving assistance.
Considering the number of features taking away drivers’ decisions, I think that would be too many types of licences.
Third, constrain the licence to the car features the driver is tested in.
Taking the test with an automatic hand break, means you can only drive a car with an automatic hand break.
This third option is my preference, but there are a lot of limitations:
More testing – re-testing to get a licence to buy a new tech car.
Increased licence complexity - is it on the physical licence or digital?
Backwards compatible - manual drivers using tech is also an issue.
Alongside various other logistical issues.
I don't see an obvious answer, but if we are going to test human expertise, we should give them qualifications that match their skill level.
But this is what I am learning about.