To improve driving 'training can be more effective than punishment'

Date: 21/4/2011

Programmes that help drivers correct their bad motoring habits and head back on to the road with better motoring skills could be more effective than punishing people following an incident, it has been suggested.

Director of RoadSafe Adrian Walsh said that it is "very easy" to pick up bad driving habits and admitted that many individuals take risks when they are behind the wheel as it is natural human behaviour to push boundaries.

However, with "strong evidence" to show that certain programmes help motoring offenders to mend their ways, he claimed teaching people to drive more safely is a better tactic than merely landing them with a fine or a sentence following an incident.

His comments followed new findings from Santander Insurance, which revealed that out of 1,000 drivers, three in ten men and one-fifth of women admitted "near misses" when distracted behind the wheel.

Fiddling with stereo controls or eating and drinking were identified as the main reasons for a lack of focus.

Posted by Sarah Bailey