Winter conditions have young drivers in a spin

As cold weather sweeps across Europe a new survey by Goodyear reveals that 34% of young drivers in Europe have no knowledge about how to drive in cold weather conditions.

Unfortunately many drivers who have recently passed their test do not appreciate that cold weather driving requires a particular focus, especially the crucial importance of having the correct tyres on their car for the correct conditions.

The survey, which probed the behaviour of 6400 young drivers under 25 years of age in 16 markets (15 European countries and South Africa), was designed to get inside the brain of the young driver and provided some interesting insights into youth at the wheel.

Driving in snow gives youngsters a chill

The survey reveals that 33% of young drivers are uncomfortable about driving in snow, with young women significantly more nervous than men (40% vs 25%). For the men and women who live in countries with consistent snowy winters like Sweden and Switzerland were found to be the best trained and accordingly less worried. More than 60% of youngsters in countries including Belgium, France, Italy and UK – where snow amongst other difficult driving conditions such as ice, are now a regular occurrence – have had zero training for driving in snowy weather. Young drivers in Spain topped the snow-angst list with 50% reporting feeling uncomfortable driving in snow, followed closely by France and Belgium where 47% and 39% respectively are nervous of snow driving. Swedes, Austrians and Germans were the most un-phased by snowy conditions with just 6%, 9% and 9% admitting to not feeling comfortable.

“Snow driving can trouble even the most seasoned of drivers,” remarked Goodyear’s UK PR Manager, Kate Rock. “Feeling prepared is a big part of raising the confidence of young drivers in the snow, as is being equipped with the correct tyres for winter conditions.”

Worried in the wet

Equally worrying, is the lack of confidence which young drivers have in wet conditions. Despite the fact that rain is an everyday occurrence during the winter months in much of Europe, many newly qualified drivers report being inexperienced and nervous in wet conditions and 67% of young drivers in Turkey, 63% in Russia and 55% in Spain say they have had no specific training for wet weather driving. A quarter of young drivers in Belgium and Poland were uncomfortable at the wheel in heavy rain with French, Czech, Turkish and Dutch drivers also recording high levels of insecurity( 20%, 19%, 18% and 18% respectively.) Once again the Germans, Austrians and Swedes were the most secure in wet driving conditions with just 5%, 6% and 6% respectively feeling uncomfortable, and the Danes too were used to the wet with only 8% reportedly nervous.

Youngsters need hot tips for cold weather driving

It appears that youngsters have little understanding of the basic rules of cold weather driving. 49% of young drivers do not realise that at low temperatures they would benefit from special winter tyres which assist grip in wet and snow and two out of five are unlikely to ask for information or to change them. Awareness among young women is slightly lower than that of men, which is perhaps because they are less interested in the mechanics of cars (26% woman say they don’t know about winter tyres vs 14% men.) Encouragingly, youngsters who drive more than 10,000km per year are more aware of the need to adapt their cars to winter conditions than those who drive fewer miles (just 17% don’t know vs. 23% of low mileage drivers.)

Following the survey Goodyear will be working with the European Driving Schools Association to provide young people with more training on driving safely in adverse weather conditions and how to get the correct information on preparing their cars and tyres for the colder months.

“Winter driving requires some specific driving techniques with particular attention to be given to tyres and tread,” said Gerhard von Bressensdorf, President of the European Driving Schools Association e. V. (EFA) “It is clear from the survey that young people are concerned about winter driving and keen to learn more.”

The good news is that young drivers are eager to learn with 60% likely to find out which tyres are best in winter and some 51% going online to get more information. Young men are slightly more engaged than young women and are also more likely to replace tyres before they reach the minimum tread depth (75% vs 70%). And a very reassuring 84% of all young drivers say the quality they most look for in tyres is wet braking performance to ensure short stopping distances.