The danger on the road
The car drivers in the Netherlands are growing each day. On 1 January 2019, there were 8.5
million passenger cars on the road, that was 1,9 percent more than the year before. The CBS
shows us that the number of cars grew by 13 percent relative to 2009. “Small mistakes can
have big consequences” therefore the legal driving age in the Netherlands should be raised to
twenty-one. Young people are often involved by traffic accidents, younger people are a higher
risk behind the wheel and younger people often do no need a car and therefore cause more
traffic jams.
Not only the amount of cars grew in the years, the traffic accidents grew also. In 1972 there
were 3000 deaths by traffic accidents. Then from 1972 till 2013 the deaths degreased
gradually. But from 2014 the traffic accidents are rising again. (Factsheet traffic deaths in the
Netherlands SWOV and CBS April 2020). On the contrary, British research shows that the
proposed age increase could reduce the number of seriously injured and fatal road accident
victims by 4,470 per year. Young drivers are said to account for only about five percent of the
total number of kilometers driven, but are involved in twenty percent of traffic accidents.
The high risk of young drivers stems from a combination of factors related to both age and
lack of experience. We have biological and social psychological factors, the biological factor
is that the brain doesn’t mature till the age of twenty-five. The part of the brain that, among
other things, ensures that we think first and then do is the last developed part. The part that
deals with emotion, motivation and satisfaction of needs has developed much earlier under the
influence of the puberty hormones. As a result of this asynchronous development, young
adults are more inclined to take risks, are sensitive to group pressure and are looking for
satisfaction of their own needs such as fun. Gogtay, N., Giedd, J.N., Lusk, L., Hayashi, K.M.,
et al. (2004). The socio-psychological factors, For young people, a car is not just a means of
transport; it often means status and freedom. Young drivers who care a lot about cars, love
driving and/or young people who like going out have a higher than average accident risk. A
sporty driving style is used to impress friends. Young male drivers with other young men as
passengers have a higher accident risk than when driving without passengers. Møller, M. &
Sigurðardóttir, S.B. (2009). The young drivers have also a lack of higher order skills, many
accidents involving young drivers are due to a lack of higher-order skills. For example, young
The car drivers in the Netherlands are growing each day. On 1 January 2019, there were 8.5
million passenger cars on the road, that was 1,9 percent more than the year before. The CBS
shows us that the number of cars grew by 13 percent relative to 2009. “Small mistakes can
have big consequences” therefore the legal driving age in the Netherlands should be raised to
twenty-one. Young people are often involved by traffic accidents, younger people are a higher
risk behind the wheel and younger people often do no need a car and therefore cause more
traffic jams.
Not only the amount of cars grew in the years, the traffic accidents grew also. In 1972 there
were 3000 deaths by traffic accidents. Then from 1972 till 2013 the deaths degreased
gradually. But from 2014 the traffic accidents are rising again. (Factsheet traffic deaths in the
Netherlands SWOV and CBS April 2020). On the contrary, British research shows that the
proposed age increase could reduce the number of seriously injured and fatal road accident
victims by 4,470 per year. Young drivers are said to account for only about five percent of the
total number of kilometers driven, but are involved in twenty percent of traffic accidents.
The high risk of young drivers stems from a combination of factors related to both age and
lack of experience. We have biological and social psychological factors, the biological factor
is that the brain doesn’t mature till the age of twenty-five. The part of the brain that, among
other things, ensures that we think first and then do is the last developed part. The part that
deals with emotion, motivation and satisfaction of needs has developed much earlier under the
influence of the puberty hormones. As a result of this asynchronous development, young
adults are more inclined to take risks, are sensitive to group pressure and are looking for
satisfaction of their own needs such as fun. Gogtay, N., Giedd, J.N., Lusk, L., Hayashi, K.M.,
et al. (2004). The socio-psychological factors, For young people, a car is not just a means of
transport; it often means status and freedom. Young drivers who care a lot about cars, love
driving and/or young people who like going out have a higher than average accident risk. A
sporty driving style is used to impress friends. Young male drivers with other young men as
passengers have a higher accident risk than when driving without passengers. Møller, M. &
Sigurðardóttir, S.B. (2009). The young drivers have also a lack of higher order skills, many
accidents involving young drivers are due to a lack of higher-order skills. For example, young
