Why are youth over-represented in road crashes? Floor Lieshout.

Why are youth over-represented in road crashes?

Floor Lieshout

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•Discuss in small groups why you think young people are over-represented in road crashes?

• Divide into 3 small groups• 5 - 10 minutes• Use post-its to brainstorm

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• Brain development: between 20-25 yrs

• Prefrontal cortex:• Impulse control• Judgment• Decision-making• Reasoning

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• Social emotional system of the brain between 14-15 yrs• Social stimuli• Rewards

• Emotion wins from self-control

• Today I see an advert, tomorrow I buy it

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• Young people are more sensitive for social / group pressure / peer influence

• Some young people will take higher risks (negative and positive) than adults in search for a ´kick´

• Young males are higher at risk than young females

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• Inexperience among adolescents and young adults makes them less safe when driving a car or a motorcycle than older drivers

• Overestimation of their own skills

• Environment often not adjusted for their needs• Setting speed limits• Safe playgrounds • Safe school areas

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•Self-control: wearing a helmet requires a decision but some young people don’t have that self-control•Emotion: feels better to drive without helmet, don’t want to ruin my hair•Peer pressure: my friends are not wearing helmets so I won’t, none of my family wear helmets so why should I?•Higher risks: I will speed with no helmet because it feels great and is fun•Inexperience and overestimation of skill: I am a good driver, I will never get into a crash so I won’t wear my helmet•Environment not adjusted to needs: helmet design does not look cool or is uncomfortable, need to pay money to keep helmets at parking lot

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70%

25%

5%

•70% of young people are open for road safety messages and will behave OK in most circumstances

•5% are ´traffic criminals´ and will do whatever they want

•25% can go either way, hopefully they chose the biggest group (social validation)

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FOCUS

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• Brain development• Self control area: not yet developed• Social / emotional area: developed

• Sensitive for social / peer pressure

• Higher risk taking• Males - Females

• Inexperience and overestimation

• No safe environment

• Focus on the 70% group

Contact

web: www.youthforroadsafety.orgemail: [email protected]

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