Diagnosis of the State of Preparation of Young Drivers for Participation in Road Traffic - Based on the Assessment of Test Drives

Sep 18, 2026

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Young drivers who have just passed the driving licence test are responsible for the largest share of road accidents. The study analyses practical driving test results from B-category licence applicants, focusing on which test task types most frequently succeed and which tasks most often lead to failure. Failures concentrate on left turns at intersections, driving through traffic circles, and non-compliance with road signs and right-of-way rules. The findings show severe preparation gaps and link specific task difficulties with causes of accidents.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Summary

Introduction

Driving licence acquisition and exam structure

Test pass-rate statistics

Training effectiveness and risk reduction

Article citation info: Prochowski L, Ignatowicz T, Matuszewski T. Analysis of the preparation of young drivers for participation inroad traffic. The Archives of Automotive Engineering – Archiwum Motoryzacji. 2016; 71(1): 117-132, [http://dx.doi](http://dx.doi). org/10.14669/AM.VOL71.ART6 DIAGNOSIS OF THE STATE OF PREPARATION OF YOUNG DRIVERS FOR PARTICIPATION IN ROAD TRAFFIC, BASED ON THE ASSESSMENT OF TEST DRIVES LEON PROCHOWSKI1, TOMASZ IGNATOWICZ2, TOMASZ MATUSZEWSKI3 Military University of Technology, Automotive Industry Institute Summary Young drivers, having just passed a driving licence test and having been provided with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in road traffic, cause the greatest numbers of road accidents. To investigate the reasons for such a situation, practical driving test results obtained by applicants for the B category driving licence were analysed. Within the analysis, the course of the practical tests under analysis was examined to identify the test task types with the highest numbers of successes and those most frequently causing the test to be failed. The task types that most often resulted in a failure in the driving test included left turn at an intersection, driving through a traffic circle, and, in general, disobeying the instructions given by road signs and failure to give way to other traffic participants according to the right-of-way rules. As many as 11 % of the examinees twice failed to perform satisfactorily the left-turn manoeuvre at an intersection. On the average, each of the examinees incorrectly carried out 7 tasks during the test drive and 21 % of the examinees committed disqualifying faults when performing only the first five test tasks. The diagnosis prepared has revealed severe deficiencies in the preparation of the examinees for safe participation in road traffic. Not only the test tasks have been identified where the highest numbers of faults were committed by the examinees but also the links between the tasks and the reasons for road accidents caused by young drivers have been shown. Keywords: road traffic safety, driver testing, young drivers, driving test pass rate 1 Military University of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, ul. S. Kaliskiego 2, 00-908 Warszawa; Automotive Industry Institute, Vehicle Safety Laboratory, ul. Jagiellońska 55, 03-301 Warszawa; e-mail: [lprochowski@wat.edu.pl](lprochowski@wat.edu.pl) 2 Driving instructor, e-mail: [tomek.ignac@wp.pl](tomek.ignac@wp.pl) 3 Driving examiner, e-mail: [t.matuszewski@gostynin.powiat.pl](t.matuszewski@gostynin.powiat.pl) 1. Introduction Young drivers constitute about 27 % of the drivers killed in road accidents in the OECD countries, although this age group constitutes about 10 % of the total population [9] . The high number of road accidents in Poland and very high number of deaths in such accidents highlight the need to undertake intensive actions aimed at improvement in the road traffic safety. An important role in this field is played by education, especially the imparting of knowledge of road traffic rules and the forming of safe behaviours and responsibility in road traffic. To obtain entitlement for driving a motor vehicle up to 3 500 kg maximum authorized mass (B category driving licence) in Poland, the candidate must complete a course of driving lessons and then pass an exam carried out by a driving examiner representing one of the Provincial Road Traffic Centres. Obviously, this is only the beginning of the process of acquiring knowledge of road traffic. The exam is made up of a theory test and a practical verification of the skills acquired by the candidates for drivers. During the practical part, the skills of a future driver are verified within the scope of driving a motor vehicle on roads in conformity with legal regulations, efficiently, safely, and in an energy-efficient way (“eco-driving”) . The actual results of the verification like this, howeve

FAQs

What causes the highest number of road accidents among young drivers after they obtain a licence?

The study attributes the elevated accident involvement to deficiencies in preparation for safe participation in road traffic immediately after passing the driving test.

Which driving test task types most often result in failure?

Left turn at an intersection, driving through a traffic circle, disobeying road-sign instructions, and failing to give way according to right-of-way rules.

What does the analysis conclude about the overall preparedness of examinees?

It reveals severe shortcomings in examinees’ preparation for safe road participation and shows links between the tasks with the most faults and the reasons for accidents caused by young drivers.

Sep 18, 2026

Upload by Mia